Dean leaves path of flooding; Mexico reports storm-related deaths

Published: 2007-08-23

MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- As Hurricane Dean moved west and weakened to a tropical depression, it left widespread flooding across Mexico's Gulf Coast and left at least three people dead. They were killed in the Mexican states of Veracruz and Hidalgo, according to separate statements by the states' governors Aug. 23. Meanwhile, the heavy rains caused rivers to overflow and dozens of landslides that blocked roads and highways in the region. The state leaders said that 37,000 people had taken refuge in regional shelters, and thousands of homes were damaged. Widespread crop damage also was reported. In the neighboring state of Puebla, television images showed muddy, turbulent rivers and continuing rains. Eufemio Flores, emergency coordinator for Caritas Mexico, warned that the risk of further mudslides was still high because the rains had loosened soil on eroded mountain slopes. "Even though Dean is now a tropical depression, the amount of rain that we're still expecting is considerable," Flores told Catholic News Service in a telephone interview Aug. 23.

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