 |
|
|
 Business News | October 2005 
In Cancun, Fox Pledges More Funds
 EFE/El Universal
| | Looters carry new electronic equipment from a store after Hurricane Wilma hit the resort town of Cancun in Mexico's state of Quintana Roo October 22, 2005. Hurricane Wilma relentlessly pounded Mexico's Caribbean coast on Saturday, destroying homes and flooding beach resorts as it meandered slowly over the Yucatan peninsula. (Daniel Aguilar/Reuters) |
President Vicente Fox got a firsthand look Sunday at the devastation caused by Hurricane Wilma in the Yucatan Peninsula.
Fox said he asked Congress to raise from US366 million to US1.1 billion the amount of money to be disbursed from the Fonden natural disaster fund to assist the estimated 1 million people affected by the hurricane in the peninsula.
The president said the government's priority was to save lives and get supplies and assistance to hurricane victims.
Fox said officials would also focus on repairing damage to hotels in Cancun and other cities in the so-called Maya Riviera, the nation's top tourist destination.
The president met with tourism industry representatives to begin hammering out a reconstruction plan, which will be funded with money from both the government and insurance companies.
Quintana Roo Gov. Felix González said two people died in his state in Playa del Carmen and one in Cancun. A fourth hurricanerelated death was confirmed in Yucatan state after a person was crushed by a tree. Two fishermen were also missing at sea.
González said Cancun was the area most affected by the storm, with some 300,000 people left homeless and another 700,000 whose dwellings suffered severe damage.
Meanwhile, Quintana Roo Lt. Gov. Eduardo Espinosa Abuxapqui said that the state had requested additional federal troops to help control the looting that had broken out in the wake of the storm.
There are already 400 officers from the Federal Police Force, or PFP, on the ground in Quintana Roo, but Espinosa Abuxapqui said that at least 1,000 were needed to help maintain the peace.
The Quintana Roo government also announced that it had opened a bank account to receive donations for the victims of Hurricane Wilma. Those wishing to contribute can make deposits in the HSBC account numbered 4032030900, it said. |
| |
|
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us