Mexican officials rush aid to flooded Gulf coast state

VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico Thousands of people were fleeing a flooded region of Mexico's swampy Gulf coast, hiking out on foot and jumping from rooftops into rescue helicopters. President Felipe Calderon, flying over a state that was nearly swallowed by rising rivers, said it was one of Mexico's worst recent natural disasters.

A week of heavy rains caused area rivers to overflow Friday, leaving at least 70 percent of the swampy, oil-rich state of Tabasco under water. Much of the state capital, Villahermosa, looked like New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, with murky water reaching to rooftops.

At least one death was reported and nearly all services, including drinking water and public transportation, were shut down.

A 10-inchnatural 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 had suffered damage.

Rain gave way to sunshine today but weather forecasters predicted more precipitation in the coming days. The flooding was not related to Tropical Storm Noel, which pounded the Caribbean.

Tabasco state floods every year around this time, but even flood-weary residents were taken by surprise this year. Workers were forced to protect the city's famous Olmec statues by placing sandbag collars beneath their enormous stone heads.

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

Calderon was meeting with state officials, flying over the affected areas and visiting a makeshift shelter.

In a televised address late Thursday, he called on Mexicans to donate emergency supplies to help the 900,000 people affected. The government trucked in bottled water, food and clothing.

"The situation is extraordinarily grave. This is one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the country," Calderon said.

Even though today was a holiday, with much of Mexico marking Day of the Dead, several banks remained open to accept donations into accounts established for the flood victims.

Mexico rallied around the disaster, with people across the country contributing money and supplies. Mexican television stations dedicated entire newscasts to the flooding, and even morning entertainment shows switched their format from yoga and home improvement to calls for aid.

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

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

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

Hernandez said the government had sent 20,000 Hepatitis A vaccinations and were giving booster shots to children to prevent outbreaks. Efforts to provide medical attention were hampered after at least 50 hospitals and medical centers were flooded.

Soldiers evacuated the historic center of the state capital, Villahermosa, Thursday night as the waters of the Grijalva river burst through dikes of sandbags and toppled a retention wall, flooding the city's bus station and open-air market.

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. De la Cruz said the 240-room hotel was completely booked, the majority of the guests residents who had fled their homes.

Many victims were being transferred to nearby cities unaffected by the floods. Highways that weren't covered with water were packed with residents fleeing in cars and on foot.

Villahermosa resident Mauricio Hernandez, 27, who is not related to the federal official, paid a taxi to bring him to Cardenas, a city 30 miles east of Villahermosa. From there, Hernandez planned to hop 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.

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