Mexico
[ Torrent of Rain | Flood Fury ]
[ Helping Hands ]
Mexico |
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[ Torrent of Rain | Flood Fury ] |
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[ Helping Hands ] |
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When El Niņo reversed the trade winds and centered the storms over South America, instead of the normal location over Asia, a lot more rain poured down all around. Mexico wasn't spared, but experienced a great increase in the percentage of rain fall. And more rain meant more disasters. Just like its neighbor San Diego, California the tremendous rain lead to disasters and devastation all along the coast. This rain turned to snow in Guadalajara this December for the first time since 1881.
With all of the rain pouring down on Mexico because of El Niņo there were many more storms. In Tijuana, the rains hit hard and turned the dirt to mud. Houses slipped, streets flooded, and many people died. One storm alone caused the deaths of thirteen people, six in Tijuana and seven in Rosarito. This particular storm caused the water to rise in the gully that divides a neighborhood in Tijuana. The people who died were swept away by the water and drowned. The economic situations in Tijuana didn't help; the poor conditions caused the disasters to be even more devastating. See below.
With conditions as they were because of El Niņo, the people of Tijuana could use some help in terms of supplies. An already poor city, the citizens became even poorer after El Niņo did its work. However, a group called Corazon brought help. This humanitarian group, which is based in Orange County, California, sent twenty-eight volunteers on one date and delivered more than one and a half tons of food, blankets, sweaters, shovels, and tarps to the residents of Tijuana who were washed out by the floods of El Niņo. Every week a group of volunteers trek into the hills and canyons of eastern Tijuana and deliver goods to the increasing numbers of needy families. Building homes, bringing supplies, and raising hopes, Corazon is a relief to the people of Tijuana.
Tijuana, Mexico is a tourist attraction that brings many visitors who come expecting good bargains, and find devastation and poverty throughout. Even without El Niņo, many citizens aren't well off. The many poor neighborhoods throughout Mexico are hit even harder because of the poverty. Without the resources to protect themselves from the rain, and with neighborhoods built on the sides of canyons without vegetation, the residents are hit hard by El Niņo. Floods fill the streets, washing away possessions and friends along with the waves, and landslides bring houses down with them. So, not only are the conditions hard in Mexico, but the financial status of the residents increases the devastation.