This was passed on to me by a friend. Help is surely needed in Zihua and the surrounding areas. Hi Everyone, I know that many of you are wondering about the situation in Zihuatanejo and points beyond, so I thought I would take a few moments to send you an update. If you use facebook, you can go to the” DIF Municipal Zihuatanejo “ https://facebook/deiefezihuatanejo?hc_location=stream page and scroll through to see how the city has managed its emergency response. As some of you know, DIF is the Medical and social welfare Agency for the Municipal. It is headed by the 1st Lady, Wendy Carbajal. The DIF staff has worked tirelessly to meet the needs of the people of Zihuatanejo. They opened shelters for the people evacuated from the upper colonias, operated soup kitchens, handed out food packages, solicited food/clothing donations, took medical teams out to the outlying areas with the Marines help, and they are still working over-time to meet the needs. Zihuatanejo was hit hard, but did not have the damage that the towns south to Acapulco, and north to Lazaro Cardenas) The worst destruction and sadly, deaths were the towns south from Petalan on. Mudslides have taken out major sections of highway, and the flooding waters took out many bridges. The houses along the Petalan river were washed away, and flooding occurred into the central part of town. People cannot get into Petalan, nor leave. More road damage, slides occurred in the towns all along the highway to Acapulco. Papanoa had deaths and a fair amount of damage, as did Tecpan and other towns. The people of Atoyac (just north of acapluco) suffered extreme damage, with a mudslide taking out nearly an entire town, La Pinanda killing a large number of people. Bridges and roads are out in the Sierras on the way to Vallecitos or the sierras above pantla like San Ignacio. The damage is more severe for these people, as they are stranded. Getting food and medical help to these people is difficult. DIF has been doing what it can with the help of the Marines. Because the highways are closed, the transport of food and gas is difficult, if not impossible. Initially, the stores were gouging the people by with skyrocketing prices. The municipal government sent PROFECO representatives out “to have a little talk” with vendors. Now, the prices have settled down to a little near normal...although still 3 to 5 pesos higher. These are the big box stores like commercial, bodega, merza. The local vendors are less controlled by PROFECO, and thus, their prices are very high...like $200 pesos for a chicken, $90 pesos for a carton of eggs. The other concern is the availability of gas to cook with and to drive cars. I was told that 30 percent of the combis have been side lined to conserve gas. Some transports can get through via the old road to Lazaro, but on a limited basis. Some of the washed out roads are being repaired, but can only allow cars, not large trucks , to pass. If you need to get to Acapulco, you have to fly to Mexico City, and from there to Acapulco. This has affected two of the families whose kids I sponsor in NInos Adelante. One mom was scheduled (after a year’s wait) to have 3 tumors removed from her throat today, in Acapulco. Mexico has 3 tier medical service—basic service is done at the general hospital in Z, surgery and tests more complicated than a chest xray are done in Acapulco, Exotic and and complicated processes get done in Mexico City. Now, she will have to wait a gazillion more days to redo her tests, reschedule the surgery—and who knows when it will ultimately be done. Another mom had a very delicate eye surgery (to prevent blindness) in Mexico. She needed to have the stitches removed—and no it couldn’t be done by another doctor. The only way to get her to Mexico City was by plane...not money that any of us were prepared to pony up, after paying for the eye surgery. So, with the roads and bridges closed, the domino effect is at work in all aspects of life. I can’t even begin to imagine how quickly the bridges or roads will be repaired and/or rebuilt. Zihuatanejo’ biggest problems will be water and contamination. Water, because the wells in Barrio Viejo were destroyed and/or compromised by the flood waters. Before the flood, the colonias were suffering from the lack of water...a serious lack of water brought on by drought conditions. Unfortunately, the method of water delivery via Manuel has made the situation even worse. The contaminated mud that has flowed through the streets, will start causing serious respiratory problems as it dries. Think about the clouds of mud and dirt that rise up with the speeding buses on the main street in front of the Old Electra store and plaza libertad, or Cinco de Mayo. School age children will start passing one respiratory illness after another to teachers and fellow students. Respiratory illness from dried mud contamination is also a huge problem in the sierras, where little or no medical help/ medication is available. While September, October, November are the slow months with few tourists, the flooding has effectively reduced much of what commerce normally is there. Thus, many people are not working, who might have had a job. Whether the people live in Colonia Buenas Aires or in El Centro a lot of people had flooding into their homes, so they are dealing with wet clothes, furniture, etc. Gas and potable water is not readily available. Food prices are higher...so if you have sponsor students in Ninos Adelante or have a family that you are friends with, life right now is not easy. Everyone is definitely struggling. Public schools have been closed this past week. When it is not storming, Private schools have generally been open and operating, The internet and phone service in El Centro and the residential areas of la ropa, el hujal are being restored. The people are very resilient. Bit by bit, things will be repaired....and on the exterior, things may seem more or less normal by December or January. But, I know that it takes time to rebuild and/or replace what a family has lost due to flooding, especially for the people in the outlying areas like the sierras. So, when you are packing your bags to visit, add the odd shirt, pants, shoes, that you are not going to use. Bring a toy or two—doesn’t have to be some fancy star wars creature, a stuffed animal toy or doll will work. I’m even packing sheets and towels. When you get to Zih, drop your things off at the DIF center. DIF will be taking teams out into the sierras, once the roads are passable, to address the need there. And, they will be conducting a Christmas toy drive, again. The things you donate to DIF do get to the poor and the most needy. I can personally vouch for this. Maryellen Jackson PO Box 132 MOnte Rio, CA 95462
Posted on: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 04:48:56 +0000
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