What's Going on in Tabasco?

Update 10:32 am 11/3/07

I was on the phone with my brother Manuel and he was calm, joking even. My family seems to be in a tense situation, but not in panic. I can't say the same for the majority of the population in Villahermosa; some people have lost it all.

Manuel tells me some people are already profiting from the situation: some water vendors have jacked their prices from $14 pesos to $100 (US$ 1.30 to $9.30) for a 5-gallon water bottle! I asked him whether any of the flooding could have been prevented.

There's usually flooding in Tabasco every rain season, I remember a particularly large flood in Villahermosa in 1999, as the state has about a third of all of Mexico's water, but this time the rain didn't just fall here. All the runoff from rain in Chiapas' mountains (state southeast of Tabasco) has overflowed the dams and they had to relief some of the pressure by opening the gates and into the plains of Tabasco, the outlet to the Gulf of Mexico. This is what really caused the flooding, so it’s more of a regional situation.

The panic buys and hoarding are really not helping, people have emptied the supermarket isles, one lady was carrying bags and bags of laundry soap... that really isn't going to do much help since clean water is running out. Manuel just hopes it doesn't get t a point where you can't buy any provisions, even if you've got the cash.

In Villahermosa power is out in the flooded areas to prevent electrocutions, people in the rest of the areas are afraid they will loose power too, but that is just misinformation and unnecessary panic, until new areas become flooded they should continue having power.

Some hospitals are flooded, the staff and patients have relocated to theaters where they are performing any needed operations. My family's home is very close to the Seguro Social clinic on Ave. Sandino, they have been asking for clean sheets and any other items the neighbor ca spare. The state governor's home (Granier) is housing 500 people. All cell phone connection is out, landlines are not very stable.

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