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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | August 2005 
Tropical Storm José Death Toll Hits 11
 Wire services
| | Mexican troops joined police and civil defense workers in the rescue effort in Aguililla, roughly 245 miles southwest of Mexico City in the state of Michoacan. |
Flooding in the state of Veracruz has left 11 dead and more than 100,000 people homeless, state and federal officials said Friday as they tallied the damage caused by weeks heavy rains from Tropical Storm José.
Hundreds of schools and 50,000 hectares of farmland have also damaged in the state.
The tropical storm clobbered the nation this week, with widespread flooding that caused damage and deaths in Veracruz, as well as in the states of Oaxaca and Michoacan.
Officials in Veracruz remain on alert as several tropical waves less severe than a tropical storm yet capable of causing damage persist in the area. The high levels of precipitation have caused seven rivers to overflow, provoking floods in 140 municipalities.
In Oaxaca, 11 people have been reported dead, and three were still missing as of Friday. In Michoacan, six people were killed Thursday.
Federal government and private organizations have sent money and emergency supplies to affected communities.
Rodolfo Tuirán, who coordinates disaster aid with the Social Development Secretariat, said federal funds to rebuild hard-hit communities have increased in recent years, but that a greater effort must be made.
"Houses should not have been built in zones that are prone to flooding," Tuirán said. "We still don't have enough preventative measures in place, and there is still a large part of the population living in high-risk areas. These people can only be moved after a disaster occurs." |
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