Hurricane Karl hit central and southern Mexico in late September leaving devastation for tens of thousands of families. The hardest hit areas were the cities of Villahermosa, Juchitan, Veracruz, Cardel, Minatitlan and the state of Tabasco. In Tabasco, the flooding caused many residents to dismantle their homes and move them to the sides of the roads on higher ground. Livestock were also left starving, crops were destroyed and flood victims struggled to find clean water and food.
A team from Convoy of Hope was dispatched to Mexico in the days following the flood to distribute 100 water filters — each filter processes 200 gallons of water daily. Food and resources were also distributed.
“The state of flooding in Mexico is underestimated,” says Nick Weirsma, director of volunteer services for Convoy of Hope. “Hundreds of thousands of people were affected. Numerous neighborhoods had nearly four feet of stagnant water in them.”
In Cardel, many residents say they weren’t expecting the rains in the mountains to come down into their city after Hurricane Karl had already passed them. To help such families Convoy of Hope brought food and supplies to the people of the Cardel area.
The Convoy of Hope team also traveled to the state of Oaxaca to distribute food and water filters in isolated communities in the mountains. Many residents were overwhelmed when Convoy of Hope arrived with food and water filters.
The disaster in Mexico was one of twelve disasters this year that Convoy of Hope responded to.
