Mexico Floods Strand 300,000

Rescuers scramble in Gulf state of Tabasco
By Amanda Hughes,  Newser User
Posted Nov 2, 2007 6:55 AM CDT
Mexico Floods Strand 300,000
Mexican Navy soldiers help a man evacuate a flooded area in Villahermosa, Mexico, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007. A week of heavy rains unleashed massive flooding in southeastern Mexico, killing at least one person and forcing tens of thousands to flee the rising waters for shelters in Tabasco and Chiapas states....   (Associated Press)

Rescuers are racing to southeastern Mexico by boat and helicopter to free 300,000 people trapped in their homes by massive flooding, the BBC reports. Nearly 70% of the state of Tabasco is under water and all crops have been obliterated. "We are just like New Orleans," the governor said of his low-lying state. One person has died.

Heavy rains began last weekend, causing rivers to burst their banks. Only trees and rooftops are visible in Tabasco's capital, Villahermosa. Mexican President Felipe Calderon flew over the state and promised federal help for residents whose homes were damaged or lost. The storms have closed three major oil ports and halted a fifth of the nation's oil production. (More Mexico stories.)

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