CHURCH WORLD SERVICE
EMERGENCY RESPONSE OFFICE
34 Denominations & Communions Working Together to Meet Human Needs
SITUATION: At least 123 have
died and some 10,000 are homeless in and around Acapulco, Mexico, in the
wake of Hurricane Pauline, one of the deadliest hurricanes on record on
Mexico's Pacific Coast.
It could be days before a final fatality count is known, since it is expected that many bodies won't be recovered until they are washed into the once-glittering bay of the famed resort area.
Compounding relief efforts is that most of Acapulco's 1 million residents have no drinking water, telephones or electricity. Streets continue to be filled with mud.
Earlier in the week, Pauline -- which has now been downgraded to a tropical storm -- hit the coasts of Oaxaca and Chiapas states, two of Mexico's most impoverished regions. The region around Acapulco -- the state of Guerrero -- is also a poor region.
RESPONSE: CWS is in touch with its Latin American representative in Mexico City, and is awaiting assessment information to plan an appropriate response.
While this situation report does not guarantee that an appeal will follow, we welcome any information that could be used to develop an appeal.
Call the CWS HOTLINE for updates: (800) 456-1310.
For further information about disasters to which Church World Service is responding, contact CWS Emergency Response.
Telephone: (212) 870-3151
E-mail: CWS_DROFFICE.parti@ecunet.org
After-hours emergency pager: (800) 780-0853
Internet Web Site: http://www.ncccusa.org/CWS/emre