Three important phone calls

Mom Hortencia, nieces Jimena and Valentina, brother Manuel, sister-in-law Hilaria, and daughter Victoria

Update 10:00 pm 11/3/07

Today I made three important phone calls, I touched base with my mother, my brother Manuel and my friend Maria. I yelped a little when my mom told me she was in a shelter near Colonia Tamulte. "What, did your home flood?!!" But then she explained she was giving free massages to the displaced folk.

She's a very strong woman, a cancer survivor, and rises to the moment in tough times. She is also a philanthropist, most of her massages, potions and other holistic therapies are usually free of charge (if you can bear the torture and the yucky taste:-)). I wish I were as strong as she.

Mom's also given away all the sheets and blankets she's had since before I was born; ha, so she finally cleaned the clutter, I bet my baby blanket's also gone by now (boo hoo). I'm worried about them, but they are toughing it out helping as much as they can.

My friend Maria has a more pessimistic view; her business and her family's businesses are all underwater; they never thought the flooding would reach the city center. They're wealthy, so they have trouble coping well with having lost so much. However, now I feel that she is focusing on her family's well-being, not the material losses, and that is wise.

My brother Manuel can be the biggest cynic you'd ever meet, but not today. Just yesterday he was making me laugh with his stories of how he used all his spare change to buy-out a snack machine at work, he says those are his survival provisions, then he screams laughing "we're going to die...hahaha!!". It's amazing that he has a sense of humor in this situation.

But today he caved-in, his voice cracked when he gave me the update. The sun had come out and the rain stopped a bit, but that simply allowed the people to see the damage and realize the magnitude of the situation. The standing water has begun to stink, there are dangerous nauyaca snakes and other reptiles roaming the waters trying to find a spot to dry-out and get some heat for their bodies.

Cell phones are working again, that was good news, but then he got a call from one of his friends asking him for food because her family hadn't eaten in a couple of days...that’s when he broke down, he felt powerless, they can't reach the area where his friend is. I also feel just as powerless, I worry all day.

Helicopters have been dropping-in for rescues all day, non-stop, fishing people out of the water. Citizens are lending their boats to cruise the waters in search of survivors clinging to rooftops and trees. Convoys of trucks with provisions are beginning to trickle-in through the Cardenas highway from Veracruz.

But it's not enough, there are a million displaced people, one in two people in the state are affected, and the official shelters all maxed-out at 65,000 people. All homes still dry enough are filled with people. Everyone is pitching in, taxi drivers give free rides, and people are taking care of each other. And when a few vandals started looting the Aurrera supermarket, they were recorded on video and arrested immediately, their faces broadcast in the media and shamed. Even my brother, who criticized and hated the state's governor Granier, says he's doing a good job; but there's also rumors of blame for how this could have been prevented; but that is not important now.

Gas, power and water have started up again in some colonias, but for those without a home the only thing left is to wander the city looking for a dry place too sleep, some food, medicine, water. My brother worries about the unaccompanied children in shelters; they are alone asking for their parents while the parents do the same in other shelters.

The people of Tabasco are used to water and floods, one-third of the fresh water in Mexico flows through this state; but the idea of having lost it all, not knowing where your family is, and being hungry is scary for many.

My thoughts and heart go out to my family; to all the people I grew-up with, my mom's construction workers that looked after me while mom was tending to business. I saw and helped each of them build their modest homes (at age 5 could only lift a brick at a time); now I'm sure those homes are underwater. I hold on to the hope that Don Carmito, Ricano, Juanito, La Perra, Anibal, Abelardo, Queta, Dona Maria, Jose, Andres, Elia, Edith, Hernan, Joel, Chito and all their families are safe.

Other stuff for today:
TV Tabasco Online: http://www.tvtenlinea.com.mx/
Found this blog with lots of updates from Tabasco aguadetabascovino.blog
There's also a Facebook group here, And a Google Group at: ayudatabasco