We
wrote last week about the terrible floods that affected Mexico. The
large amount of rain there is still causing big problems and tragedy.
The weeks
of heavy rain have now caused several mudslides that buried homes and
schools beneath the earth. One place was Mixun, Mexico where about 17
people were swept into the earth as a village collapsed. Mixun, Mexico
is a banana- and coffee- growing village about 115 miles north of Mexico
City.
Rescue
workers tried to fly medicine and food to parts of Mexico early in the
week, but heavy rain kept these workers from flying to certain parts
of Mexico. Rescue workers will continue their search for missing people
as weather permits.
The floods
have affected more than 250,000 people over the past several weeks.
Also, about 70,000 people are living in housing shelters because their
homes are either unsafe or ruined and over 300 people have been killed.
President Ernesto Zedilo called this Mexico's worst disaster this decade
(a decade is ten years).
President
Clinton made this statement about the Mexico floods. "On behalf of the
American people, I want to express our deepest condolences to the families
of those who have lost their lives and homes in the devastating floods
and mudslides in Mexico, which have taken hundreds of lives, and left
tens of thousands of people homeless. It was less than a month ago that
Hurricane Floyd brought flooding to the states along our own East Coast,
reminding us of the pain such tragedies can bring, and of the importance
of neighbor helping neighbor in times of crisis. In the days ahead,
our thoughts and prayers will be with our good friends, the people of
Mexico, as they work to rebuild from these terrible tragedies. As a
people and a government, we stand ready to help in any ways we can."
