Our condolences to our fellow citrus lovers in Mexico. After the assessment of flood damage, citrus trees are also victims of the disaster.


Nov. 9, 2007, 10:03AM
Mexico Flood Wipes Out Crops

MEXICO CITY — Massive flooding in the southern state of Tabasco practically wiped agricultural crops from citrus to chocolate, threatening the main source of income for about one-third of the state's 2 million people, officials said on Thursday.

The floods, which began in late October, covered as much as 80 percent of the state's territory.

"One hundred percent of all the crops and agricultural fields have been lost because of the flooding," said Rafael Tosca, deputy director for the trade department of the Tabasco Economy Ministry.

"All the agricultural areas in the state are located in the flat and lower-lying areas and these have all been flooded, most of them are still under water and it will take a long time to clean it up," Tosca said in a telephone interview.

The crops affected include corn, citrus, sugar cane, cocoa, and bananas. Vast numbers of cattle have been drowned or are cut off by flood waters.

"There are still a lot of areas where we can't even get into because they are still flooded, and it can be up to two or three months before all the flood water will have receded from the agricultural areas," said Tosca.

The massive flooding will be the nation's most costly natural disaster since a hurricane devastated Cancun and Cozumel in 2005, insurers said on Thursday.

Claims from damages in Tabasco state were estimated as of Thursday at 7.5 billion pesos ($700 million), the Mexican Insurance Industry Association said in a statement. It did not list individual insurers exposed to flooding claims.

Claims for Cancun and Cozumel, major tourist resorts slammed by Hurricane Wilma two years ago, led to 19.3 billion pesos in payments ($1.8 billion).