HomemenuAbout UsmenuGetting InvolvedmenuDonate NowmenuWorldwidemenuDownloadmenuNews
 
You are here: Home > Worldwide > Worldwide >
Agencies Rush Aid to Flood-Affected Areas of Southern Mexico
Sources: Mission Network News, Christian Post

Intense heavy rains in Mexico have caused massive flooding across the country’s southern Chiapas and Tabasco states. Millions have been affected. Christian aid agencies are already reaching out to the flood victims in Jesus’ name as the flood waters remain high.

“This is actually the worst natural disaster that our country has suffered within the last 15 or 20 years,” said David Muñoz, World Vision’s communication specialist in Tabasco’s capital city of Villahermosa. “In Chiapas there are 250,000 people who have lost their homes. But here in the state of Tabasco there are 1 million people that have been affected. I have seen people living on the main roads. I have seen people who are living on the roofs of their houses.”

Muñoz said water isn’t the people’s only concern. “This flooding has brought snakes into the water and crocodiles, so people are scared and desperate. There’s also a major concern about waterborne diseases such as dengue fever and cholera and mosquito-borne diseases.”

Mexican President Felipe Calderón called the natural disaster one of the worst in Mexico’s history, reported Reuters. Officials added that Tabasco has lost all of its banana and other crops, and four-fifths of the state is under water. Experts say it will take weeks for the water to recede.

Tabasco is one of the poorest areas of Mexico, and the long-term rebuilding effort is expected to be a major operation, according to local aid agency Caritas Mexico. The agency has set up 14 centers in Mexico City to start collecting aid to help the people of Tabasco.

Meanwhile, World Vision plans to send some 40 metric tons of soap, shampoo, sanitary towels, sanitary paper rolls, powdered detergent and liquid cleaner to Villahermosa as soon as roads are cleared and arrangements can be made.

Convoy of Hope, the compassion ministry affiliated with the Assemblies of God, is also preparing to respond to the massive flooding. * HCJB Global Voice has helped with training and Spanish programming for a pair of partner stations in Chihuahua and provides five hours of weekly programs for a station in Cuauhtemoc.
 
< Prev   Next >