February 8, 2010
On Friday, February 5, after extreme rainfall in central Mexico, a disastrous flood struck the mountain town of Angangueo, Michoacan. This little town—which is located at the center of the monarch butterfly overwintering region—sustained extensive material damage and even human loss.

Estela Romero, who coordinates Journey North's Symbolic Migration and whom we've come to know through her visits to area schools, is safe, as is her family. However, the flood destroyed their family store and the first floor of their beautiful old family home. She wrote on Saturday:

"The river running inside our house was jammed with rocks which cracked the structure of our house. The whole ground floor is totally flooded and lost. Our store is also totally flooded and lost. Our cars and truck were taken away by water. We were trapped and were taken out from the back part or our home by a group of courageous town young boys who were among the very few volunteers still remaining in town. I felt we had little possibility to survive if the rain did not stop. I could not imagine how we would spend the night in the house, since the height of the water was rising and enormous rocks were being carried with the rushing river."

The government of Mexico has declared Angangueo a disaster area and thousands of people in the area have been evacuated to nearby towns. The roads into and out of the area, and up the mountain to the sanctuaries, have been damaged extensively by landslides. The rainfall lasted over 48 hours and was the heaviest in 25 years, according to Mexican authorities.

• Disaster Relief: We will provide information about disaster relief just as soon as possible, for those who would like to send assistance to our friends in Angangueo and the surrounding communities.
  

Flooding in downtown Angangueo

This video clip shows the Romero's store and home (front left). It was taken after peak flooding. The stains on the buildings show the high water mark.

Evacuation of Angangueo

This news video contains footage of Angangueo during the evacuation.