The severe weather that caused flooding in Michoacán and Guerrero has also caused problems in neighbouring states in southern Mexico, increasing river levels in Colima and Jalisco and causing further flooding. Heavy rainfall, hail storms and strong winds have affected southern and western Mexico since 13 March 2015.
Colima and Jalisco States
The Marabasco river, which runs along the border of Colima and Jalisco states, has overflowed causing floods in the municipalities of Manzanillo (Colima) and Cihuatlán (Jalisco).
Manzanillo saw over 97 mm of rain fall in 6 hours on 16 March, according to Unidad Estatal de Protección Civil (UEPC).
Colima state congress is urging the federal government to declare a state of emergency for the area to offer the affected region access to emergency finance.
Mexican media are also reporting local anger at the federal government and Comisión Nacional del Agua (National Water Commission / Conagua) for lack of flood defences along the Marabasco river.
Michoacán
As reported yesterday, in the state of Michoacán, the worst affected areas are the capital, Morelia, and also Zamora and Apatzingán.
Governor Jara Salvador Guerrero said around 3,000 people have been affected. In Morelia, where 400 homes have been damaged, some streets were in flood water up to 70 cm deep. Around 400 homes were also damaged in Zamora and around 50 in Apatzingán. The municipality of Múgica has also been affected.
Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture (Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación / SAGARPA) have reported that initial estimates show that around 12,000 hectares of crops have been damaged across 19 municipalities in the state, leaving producers facing heavy losses.
