Thousands of people flee Mexico floods

A week of heavy rains caused rivers to overflow, drowning at least 80% of the swampy, oil-rich state of Tabasco. Much of the state capital, Villahermosa, looked like New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, with murky water reaching to second-storey rooftops and desperate people waiting to be rescued.

At least one death was reported and nearly all services, including drinking water and public transportation, were shut down as more than 900,000 people in the state of 2 million had their homes flooded, damaged or cut off.

A 10in (25cm) natural gas pipeline sprung a leak after flooding apparently washed away soil underneath it, but it was unclear if other facilities operated by the state-run Petroleos Mexicanos were damaged.

Rain gave way to sunshine today but forecasters predicted more precipitation in the coming days. The flooding was not related to a tropical storm which pounded the Caribbean this week.

Tabasco state floods every year around this time. Workers tried to protect Villahermosa’s famous Olmec statues by placing sandbag collars around their enormous stone heads, and built sandbag walls to hold the Grijalva river as it flows through the state capital.

But the quickly rising waters surprised even flood-weary residents, forcing soldiers to evacuate the historic city centre, and the dykes failed last night, flooding the city’s bus station and open-air market.

Tens of thousands of people were still stranded on rooftops or inside the upper floors of their homes today.

Rescue workers used tractors, helicopters, jet skis and boats to ferry people to safety, while others swam through poisonous-snake infested waters to reach higher ground.

Mr Calderon met state officials and flew over the affected areas.

The extent of the flooding was clearer from the sky – Tabasco state seemed like an inland sea with only rooftops and trees protruding from the water.

“This is not just the worst natural catastrophe in the state’s history but, I would venture to say, one of the worst in the country’s recent history,” the president said during an emergency meeting with state officials in Villahermosa today.

Mr Calderon ordered the armed forces and federal police to maintain order and prevent looting, and asked residents to try to remain calm. He also cancelled a Latin American trip scheduled for next week.

“Once we have passed the critical stage... we are going to reconstruct Tabasco whatever it takes,” he said.

Mexico rallied around the victims, with people across the country contributing money and supplies. Mexican television stations dedicated entire newscasts to the flooding. Morning entertainment shows switched from yoga and home improvement to calls for aid. And even though today was the national Day of the Dead holiday, banks remained open to accept donations for flood victims.

Food and clean drinking water were extremely scarce, and federal Deputy Health Secretary Mauricio Hernandez warned of possible outbreaks of cholera and other waterborne diseases.

“With so many people packed together there is a chance that infectious diseases could spread,” Mr Hernandez said.

Officials tested for 600 suspected cases of cholera, but none was positive, he said. The waterborne sickness, which is often fatal, has not been reported in Mexico for at least six years.

The government also sent 20,000 Hepatitis A vaccinations and was giving booster shots to children to prevent outbreaks, Mr Hernandez said.

But medical care was difficult because at least 50 of the state’s hospitals and medical centres were flooded.

Safe refuges were scarce: parking garages and any other dry structures were converted into temporary shelters.

Guadalupe de la Cruz, a receptionist at the Hotel Calinda Viva Villahermosa, located in an elevated area of the city, said the hotel’s meeting rooms are being used as shelters for employees’ families and the 240-room hotel was completely booked, mostly by people who had fled their homes.

Many victims were being transferred to nearby cities unaffected by the floods. Highways which were not covered with water were packed with residents fleeing in cars and on foot. The exodus appeared to be orderly, with no reports of violence.

Villahermosa resident Mauricio Hernandez, 27, who is not related to the federal official, paid a taxi to bring him to Cardenas, a city 50km (30 miles) east of Villahermosa. From there, he planned to catch a bus to the port city of Coatzacoalcos.

“We are leaving because we cannot live like this,” he said. “We don’t have any water, and the shelters are full. Where are we going to go?”

State officials sent 50 buses to a museum in the capital where hundreds gathered.

“We wanted to stay in the city but it is no longer possible,” said Jorge Rodriguez, 43. “We have lost everything.”