Tropical Depression 3-E Hits Already Soggy Port

(Acapulco, El Sur 8 July) Thursday’s heavy rains added more inches of water in the street and sidewalks of Acapulco, worsening conditions of flooding. The overwhelmed storm drainage system is simply incapable of carrying away the large volumes of water that fell yesterday, together with the residue of the last three weeks of heavy precipitation. Tropical Depression 3-E came to town between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, on the heels of Tropical Depression 5 from the Western Caribbean.

The Port Authority did not cancel all small vessel navigation, but issued a strong precaution due to high winds and waves. Troops from the marine base at the VIII Naval Region in Acapulco made surveys of the situation in Acapulco, especially in the upland neighborhoods where mudslides and flooding are most common. Thunderstorms and strong winds accompanied the arrival of 3-E in Acapulco.

Ironically, in the midst of inundations, the Central Market had to function without water for five days, causing the consternation of merchants and risking health hazards. Capama, the water utility, was unable to determine the cause until Wednesday, when a broken three-inch pipe was located nearby. In the interim the utility delivered water to the fish market section by tanker truck.