Thousands of people were left stranded on their rooftops awaiting rescue or supplies of food and drinking water in the flood-stricken state of Tabasco in southern Mexico. The water level had started to fall slightly but the centre of Villahermosa, the state capital, remained several metres under water, the national water commission, Conagua, said.
About 80,000 people in 17 towns remained isolated by the floods, which have left 800,000 people homeless. Rumours circulated that crocodiles were prowling the murky waters.
Local media reported widespread ransacking of abandoned shops and homes in Villahermosa, despite stern warnings and arrests. Looters said they were stealing to feed their families. Outside the city rescue workers said it was difficult to reach flood victims because of a boat shortage, and there were few dry areas where helicopters could land.
The army evacuated 5000 people in a four-hour operation with 14 helicopters, police said, while trucks brought food and bottled water to some 600 overcrowded shelters struggling to provide enough meals and dry beds.
Farmers expressed fears that their cattle, herded on to patches of higher ground with nothing to eat, would be lost along with their harvests.
The official death toll rose to eight, mostly reported from the neighbouring state of Chiapas, where there were severe floods, and mudslides in mountainous areas. In that region, authorities had drained water from two dams to prevent them from exceeding their capacity. Chiapas authorities declared a state of emergency in 22 municipalities while 2,500 people have been taken to shelters. The Federal Electricity Commission also said it was unclear when it would be able to close the spigots in the Penitas dam in Chiapas.
The Government of Mexico has not requested international assistance. In a radio and television address last week, President Felipe Calderon called the Tabasco flooding one of the worst natural disasters Mexico had ever seen and appealed to the Mexican people to donate to the victims. More that 8, 000 persons from Marines, the Army and Civil Protection are now mobilized in addition to more than 10,000 volunteers. Some 400 vehicles are being used to ensure transportation to safe areas or shelters. Soldiers and state authorities had placed more than 700,000 sand bags along the rivers to prevent flooding.
Health officials warned against outbreaks of tropical diseases, such as the mosquito-borne dengue, and water borne diseases. The General Coordination of Civil Defense of the Secretary of Government has issued an emergency declaration for 17 municipalities in Tabasco and 22 in Chiapas in order to activate resources from the Revolving Fund for Natural Disasters to assist the affected population. See this site for the latest updates on the flooding situation and the relief efforts underway.
UPDATE: Overnight, reports came in that a mudslide had struck a village in Mexico's southern Chiapas state, leaving at least 16 people missing and feared dead. The slip followed heavy rain which has caused severe flooding in Chiapas and in the neighbouring state of Tabasco.
Foreign aid is beginning to arrive in the region but big difficulties remain in distributing the aid. Water levels remain high and thousands of people are still waiting for food and other supplies. The floods that hit last week are some of the worst in Mexico's history. As many as half a million people have seen their homes damaged or destroyed, and at least 20,000 people remain trapped in their homes. The Mexican military has rescued almost 40,000 people in the two states.
Rescue teams were despatched to the community of San Juan Grijalva, where heavy rainfalls caused a hillside to collapse into a river. Local media reports said the landslide buried many houses and as many as 30 people could be missing. Some residents are thought to have fled into the hills to escape the advancing wall of mud and debris. "This village practically disappeared," the Associated Press quoted Chiapas governor Juan Sabines as saying at the scene.
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