Mexico's Rapid Reaction

By Ioan Grillo

Images of filthy water engulfing Mexico's southern city of Villahermosa as residents clung to rooftops were reminiscent of the flooding that devastated New Orleans in 2005. But unlike Katrina, this natural disaster caused no anarchy or four-figure death toll. Amid heavy rains, President Felipe Calderon ordered in thousands of troops two days before the most damaging flooding hit. When the riverbanks finally burst, more than 60 helicopters were buzzing through the skies, carrying out nonstop rescue and relief missions. Calderon and half his Cabinet then touched down in Villahermosa four times in a week, giving televised updates on everything from the use of satellite phones in shelters to the drop points of millions of bottles of water. "The reaction has been very impressive," said Helena Ranchal, regional head of the European Commission's emergency-relief fund.

It's a double triumph for Calderon. His performance outclassed Mexico's usual disaster response (after the 1985 earthquake, the public basically had to rescue itself while officials tried to underplay the casualties). It also helped Calderon show he cares about poor people in the south, the home turf of his populist rival Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who still tours the country calling himself the "legitimate President."

Heavy problems from the flooding remain, though. Water damaged the homes of almost a million people and devastated crops of corn, bananas and beans. Villahermosa resident Jesus Hilario returned home to find his crops completely washed away. "I could be forced to go and work in El Norte," Hilario said, referring to the U.S., where 11 million of his countrymen labor. Getting Hilario to stay and rebuild will prove to be Calderon's greatest test yet.