The Suffering In Tabasco

cross posted at daily Kos

The flooding in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico, continues. It has finally broken into the traditional media. And the images are appalling.

According to the NY Times

President Felipe Calderón, who has visited Villahermosa twice this week, said that Mexico was facing one of the worst natural disasters in its recent history. But it was hard to gauge how widespread the damage was.

The Tabasco governor, Andrés Granier, who compared Villahermosa to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, said that as many as one million of the state’s 2.2 million residents had been affected by the flooding. But it was not clear if they had been left homeless.

State officials said Friday that 69,000 people were in packed shelters around the state. Many residents who could leave the state sought refuge in the neighboring state of Veracruz.

Here's where we're talking about:

State Secretary Humberto Mayans said Friday that an estimated 100,000 people in Villahermosa had nowhere to go and were wandering the city’s streets.

Tabasco has approximately 2.2 million population.

That made things look like this (most photos from Mexican press sites):













It's not clear yet where private donations should go that will most directly benefit the people of Tabasco.

In the meanwhile, this would be a good time for prayers and positive thoughts and putting aside a few dollars to donate.