Anger in Mexico
Mexican government under fire after deadly floods.
MEXICO CITY — As the death toll continues to rise from twin storms that flooded much of Mexico, government officials are coming under intense criticism for their handling of the crisis, for failing to act on warnings and for allowing shoddy construction that exacerbated the destruction.
Angel Aguirre, governor of Guerrero, the hardest- hit state, has been singled out for chastisement since itwas revealed that hewas at an all- night party with other politicians as the storm bore down on his state’s tourism gem, Acapulco, and numerous mountain villages that would be cut off for days and where the most people died.
“It rained and it rained, and the governor drank and drank,” read one particularly harsh headline in Proceso magazine, which carried a photograph of Aguirre arm in arm with his party partners.
Aguirre has taken pains to make himself highly visible in rescue efforts and the distribution of aid. One photo showed him being interviewed while standing waistdeep in floodwaters.
Mexico was hit nearly two weeks ago by two storms that pounded its east and west coasts simultaneously: Tropical Storm Manuel, which did major damage to impoverished Guerrero and other Pacific states, and Hurricane Ingrid, which lashed the Gulf Coast, including Veracruz state.
According to the most recent figures releasedWednesday by the federal government, 139 people were killed nationwide and at least 53were missing, most in the Guerrero village of La Pintada, where a mudslide tore through the modest homes, burying everything and everyone in its path.
With more rain falling Thursday in Acapulco, officials said September was on course to become the rainiest month in Mexican history.
The storms destroyed or crippled interstate highways, bridges, tunnels, schools and airports. But the storms were not entirely to blame.
Years of corruption, politically expedient building in geographically dicey locations, illegal logging that deforests much of the countryside and other abuses have rendered parts of Mexico especially vulnerable to extreme weather.
Plus, through generations of Mexican calamity, governments at all levels have routinely ignored or downplayed warnings, opting instead to take advantage of highprofile disaster relief operations that look good on camera. The Mexican Senate has demanded an investigation of the action officials took in preparing for
and responding to the storms.