By Richard N. Baldwin T. /HispanicVista.com

   October 15, 2007

  From Mexico
   

 

By Richard N. Baldwin T. /HispanicVista.com
Disaster Reaction In Mexico

 

     I am certainly critical of the Mexican government when I feel it is in order. But when you see something going right, it is fair to point out things that are good.

     This comes to mind after the area that we live in suffered a true flash flood in a rainstorm the evening of 30 July. One does not expect to see flash floods in one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the world.

     To put this in perspective, it should be realized that the City of México and the surrounding suburbs are located in what is called the Valley of México (Valle de México). This, in fact, is a giant bowl with the Federal District in the center of the bowl and many of the suburbs with their backs on the edge of the bowl. In fact, in very ancient times, this area was a giant crater over a hundred miles in diameter from what is called a "super volcano", something like the Yellowstone area in the US. Although the original volcano is now extinct, other active and somewhat dormant volcanoes at higher elevation in all directions surround it.  The 17,000' high "Popo" that is about 60 miles away from the center of México is a smoking example.

     Tlalnepantla, where we live is just on the edge of the bowl and backs up to the rising hills and mountains on the edge of the bowl.

     On that Monday night, there was an over two-inch rainfall in about 1 hour. But in the hills, this storm dumped probably over 6 inches of water. And water runs downhill. Our street turned into a 2-foot deep river of fast running water going south. Some people that tried to wade across were simply knocked down. And, of course, a lot of homes were flooded in their first floors.

     This neighborhood can be described as a simply middle class area with professionals and office workers and a smattering of retired persons. Not what you would call up scale.

     The next day, while I was pumping out some water that came into my living room, the city came through with a giant affair designed to pump out and store water. This equipment is almost a half block long. In my case, I needed no help as I have a water pump of my own. And fortunately, with no carpets in that room, there was no real damage to the furniture. Just some mud left from the floodwaters to clean up.

     Later, in the week, a crew from the city came down our street with a smaller pump and a crew that went from house to house to check on possible damage and offering to clean up every house. They worked efficiently and even disinfected each house. And when they finished, they hosed down the street to remove all mud left from the flood. They checked all homes from a list of addresses to assure that no one was left without asking if they needed help.

     All in all a first class operation.

     Keep in mind that Tlalnepantla is a city of 750,000 people, some working class, some middle class and some in what you would call the lower upper class. We also have a share of manufacturing plants in this city with ample shopping facilities.

     I would have expected this kind of service in one of the more upscale areas in town, but as I say, this is just a typical middle class neighborhood. I can also attest that the general levels of city service are good also. The parkways in the boulevards are kept in trim; the streets are constantly swept clean and are in good shape.

     The government of Tlalnepantla conducts periodical neighborhood meetings where the mayor not only addresses the people but also asks the residents what they want in the way for services. In other words, for voter input.  Smart politicks.

     True, there are a lot of areas in this country where such services and attention to the population is lacking, but it is good to see that there are areas that the reverse is true.

     We can only hope that more areas start doing things right by their populations. We might even be able to start keeping some more Mexicans in México. 
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Richard N. Baldwin T., a HispanicVista.com (http://www.hispanicvista.com/) contributing columnist, lives in Tlalnepantla, Edo de México. E-mail at: R1041643422@aol.com