Race to save Mexico flood victims - Tabasco
http://rootcoffee.blogspot.com/2007/11/race-to-save-mexico-flood-victims.html
Friday, November 2, 2007
Today I'm going off my usual blog subject to raise awareness and ask you for help in assisting the people of Tabasco, Mexico, my home state.
I write from Fresno, California, and I am on the phone with relatives constantly and will post updates as they're available. Below you'll find information, pictures and links to donation and assistance organizations; also some personal accounts of the events by local residents. This post will be updated regularly with new links for assistance. (Please email Sol or Pablo Orozco at cel. 559-495-8281 rootcoffee@gmail.com for any comments/questions or suggestions for the links below)
Update 5:01 pm 11/02/2007
"More than one million people are believed to be affected, with 300,000 thought to be trapped in their homes and more rain forecast in coming days. Most of the state is under water and its governor has urged anyone who owns a boat to help the rescue operation.
President Felipe Calderon said the situation was "extraordinarily grave". "It's one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the country," he said in a televised address on Thursday night."
The rain has stopped for a while and the rivers (Grijalva and Carrizal) are stabilized, but not receding. Winds are preventing the water from flowing to the ocean outlets freely.
I was just on the phone with my sister-in-law, her voice was calm but a bit concerned. My family has about 27 people staying at home, a four-room two-story house. There's extended family, friends, and friends of friends of friends.
They also have a small water well in the backyard and this allows them and the neighbors access to fresh water, lets hope it lasts because, although the rain stopped a bit today, more rain is foretasted for tomorrow.
My uncles next door are each hosting about a dozen people. Their homes and my mother's are built on Colonia Reforma, a quarter that is higher in elevation and therefore not flooded; still, the flooding got as close as 25 meters yesterday, that was a close call.
Since it stopped raining, three stores opened today. People are lined up outside as they only let three or four customers in at a time so they don't start a stampede. Still, people are making panic buys and hoarding as much as they can to take home. My family is concerned with any rioting or plundering if things get too bad or if aid doesn't arrive once what's stored is depleted.
The largest need I've noticed is a way for the international community to send donations online, the links below give you the Red Cross' bank accounts that you can wire funds to, but it would be very convenient if they would set up a web page where we could send donations electronically or with credit cards as they did with the Tsunami in Southeast Asia. The best we could do until now is set up our own paypal account (below), but that's hardly enough.
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LINKS TO HELP SITES.
The State of Tabasco Official Site has many links to donation sites and account numbers for monetary donations: http://www.tabasco.gob.mx/
You can also make your contribution directly to the Red Cross of Mexico, their banking account is:
Cruz Roja Mexicana I.A.P.Bancomer No. 0147592957
Oficina 0032 DF Palmas
Your contribution is tax-deductible.
For verification, go to the website of the Red Cross of Mexico .
We will visit the Mexican Consulate in Fresno tomorrow 8am - 11pm, 11/3/07 and try to coordinate any receipt of donations at, 2409 Merced St, 559-233-3065
We are also collecting donations and distributing them to two community shelters that the Muñoz and Caldera and other block families are organizing in one of the last dry areas in Villahermosa, Tabasco.
you can send donations via Paypal to Root Coffee Here.
Así mismo, estamos haciendo collectas directas para abastecer de víveres a las personas (conocidos y extraños que buscan resguardo) que se han estado alojando en casa de mi familia y en el resto de la cuadra en una de las areas de Villahermosa que todavia no se ha inundado: Calle Antonio Suarez Hernandez, Colonia Reforma, C.P. 86080. Las donaciones se aceptan via Paypal a Root Coffee Aqui.
Lista de Cuentas para Donativos a Tabasco - Fuente: Presidencia de la República, México. :
1. Cuenta de acopio Cruz Roja Mexicana: A nombre de: Cruz Roja Mexicana Banco: BancomerNúmero de cuenta: 0401010115
2. Banamex: A nombre de Fomento Social BanamexCuenta: 120, sucursal 100
3. BBVA-Bancomer: A nombre de Fundación BBVA Bancomer 04Apóyame 3Cuenta: 0427692633
4. Banorte: Cuenta: 27 Cuenta: Clave 072-790 000000000270
5. Santander: Cuenta: Apoyo a Tabasco
6. Scotiabank: Cuenta: 00100911240
7. HSBC: A nombre de Fundación MercedCuenta: 4025940156
8. Banco Azteca Cuenta: 01720115412160
9. Ixe Banco, S.A.: A nombre de Damnificados de TabascoCuenta: 7777777-8
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