The European Commission has approved humanitarian
aid worth Euro 1 million for victims of flooding in Mexico. The aid will
be channelled through the German and Spanish Red Cross societies, which
are working in close coordination with the Mexican Red Cross.
Catastrophic rains in October caused
flooding and landslides that affected the states of Veracruz, Tabasco,
Puebla, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Chiapas and Jalisco. About 600 people died and
some 500,000 people were made homeless.
Priorities in this crisis are provision of clean water and sanitation, blankets, hygiene items and basic medicines. The states identified as being in greatest need are Puebla and Veracruz.