Mexicans Struggle in Aftermath of Hurricanes Marty, Ignacio

Catholic Relief Services
Wednesday, 24 September 2003

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is responding to the call of Catholic church partners in Mexico to assist in recovery efforts across a country battered by weeks of storms.

For the second time in a month, northwestern Mexico was hard hit with torrential rains, high winds and subsequent flooding and landslides. At its peak, Hurricane Marty reached the same strength as Isabel—the storm that battered the eastern seaboard of the United States last week—with winds reaching up to 100 miles per hour. Although quickly downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall on the Baja California peninsula, Marty caused significant damage to infrastructure and sparked widespread flooding. Thousands have been evacuated, and electricity and clean water are in short supply.

Marty comes close on the heels of Hurricane Ignacio, which delivered punishing winds and heavy rains that destroyed bridges and washed out roads. Damage, however, has not been limited to Baja California. States of emergency have been declared in more than a dozen states across Mexico, with dams near their breaking points, flooded farms and widespread displacement of families due to rising water levels. At least 50,000 people have been left homeless by the storms.

"Reports of damage in excess of one billion dollars testify to the strength and severity of these storms," said Jed Hoffman, Latin America Regional Director for CRS. "But what gets lost in those figures is the number of lives affected. We are working with our Caritas partners in Mexico to help provide the items they need to help return their lives to normal."

With roads and other infrastructure in disarray, a full accounting of immediate needs has not been finalized. CRS will be responding to the most immediate humanitarian needs, such as clean water, blankets, mattresses and medicines, and will likely be called upon to provide reconstruction assistance to rebuild houses in a follow-up phase. "We are working closely with Caritas Mexico and will support their actions to help storm victims in the coming days and weeks," noted Hoffman.

CRS has been supporting human development and humanitarian efforts in Mexico since the 1960s. In recent years, the agency has funded rural development and peace building projects in Chiapas and provided emergency assistance after natural disasters, in addition to helping victims of civil conflict in the south. The agency currently operates a program and representational office in Tucson, Arizona, from which it supports cross-border initiatives and partnerships as well as programs throughout Mexico.

For more information, or to contact Catholic Relief Services, see their website at: www.catholicrelief.org