Floodwaters devastate Mexico's Tabasco state

Massive flooding from a week of rain has forced hundreds of thousands of people to abandon their homes and seek shelter from muddy waters that Friday covered an estimated 80% of the Gulf state of Tabasco in southeastern Mexico, including most of this capital city, officials said.

"The scene here is terrible, it's biblical," said Javier Velazco, assistant director of the Red Cross in Tabasco. "We're attending to thousands of people. We're delivering food, rope and water, but it's not enough. We need everybody's help."

Mexican military and government workers scrambled helicopters and rescue boats during much of the day Friday to reach tens of thousands of people trapped by floodwaters that reached the rooftops of low-lying neighborhoods. Many people found themselves stranded, having been reluctant to leave their homes earlier for fear of looters.

Tabasco Gov. Andres Granier said half of the state's 2 million residents were affected by flooding. And despite planes full of emergency goods arriving Friday, officials worried about shortages of food, drinking water and medicine this weekend.

"All of the crops have been lost, the state's industries are under water, and the local broadcasters can't transmit information without electricity," Granier said.

Government workers and volunteers ferried truckloads of food and drinking water to shelters in parking structures, hospitals and 1,700 schools. When some shelters flooded, officials sought drier quarters: About 2,000 people are now camped at the governor's mansion.

Most stores, markets and gas stations were closed, creating a growing desperation among the newly homeless. Half the telephone land lines were inoperable and electricity was out in most of the capital, officials said.

Those lucky enough to find shelter space woke up Friday morning wrapped in donated blankets after a night on concrete floors. Some told TV interviewers that they'd left behind all but the clothes they wore as they made their escape. Others pointed to a box of clothes or a television set they'd toted to safety.

More affluent residents jammed hotels in the capital. At the airport, thousands of people waited for flights out of the city, with airlines giving preference to families with children.

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