Guadalajara Reporter

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Written by GR Staff
Friday, 16 November 2007
Dear Sir, A November 9 newspaper article mentioned that the release of water from the Peñitas dam in Chiapas along the Grijalva River had just been closed the previous day. This is the primary river that runs through Villahermosa, the capital of the state of Tabasco, which has suffered the worst flooding ever recorded. The amount of water released from the Peñitas dam over a 10-day period (October 30-November 8) was 961,920,000 cubic meters, equivalent to 254,119,885,000 gallons. Although the National Weather Service of Mexico had advised all government agencies on October 18 that unseasonable rain and run-off would continue for the following weeks, the over–capacity of the Peñitas dam was not released until October 30, just as Villahermosa was experiencing heavy rain and high river levels. During this period, strong winds and tides from a northern cold front pushed ocean water in the Campeche Sound to high levels, which prevented rivers in Tabasco from entering the ocean. The rain and tides combined to create Tabasco's "perfect storm." The release of water from the Chiapas dams completed the disaster. The combination of unseasonable rains and questionable response caused a major catastrophe in Tabasco, the effects of which will require months of recovery. It will be important for authorities to undertake a complete investigation of this tragedy. Scientists inform us that the weather could be changing throughout the world and Mexico will receive its share of these changes. Ron Walker