I read an article on a tropical on twin storms that hit the the Pacific and Gulf Coast of Mexico at the same time a month ago, and how they're still finding bodies of those killed in the storms. There are a few different topics we've covered in class that can be related to this storm. One, the preparation, specifically the engineering paradigm of hazards, was not prepared for this storm. The article mentioned the area hit hardest was a remote village in the state of Guerrero where bodies are just beginning to be recovered. While the storms hit hard, the perfect example of the swiss cheese model is what ultimately caused the wrong problems. Mudslides were what caused the majority of house damages and deaths, and these slides were caused by the severity of the storm. A heavy storm is one thing, but when you pair that with the formation of mudslides, this is an example of multiple situations coming together to form an environmental hazard. The death tole has risen to 157, and nearly 175,000 homes have been lost. Perhaps the most interesting part of the article which points right to the engineering paradigm is the president of Mexico has ordered an investigation on which officials gave permits to build in banned areas like the riverbeds affected. Obviously, if there were no houses in these areas, the loss in both property and lives would be smaller. However, there was approval, and people that should have never been allowed to live in an area with such a risk ultimately lost their lives because they were allowed to live in this area.
http://www.weather.com/news/weather-hurricanes/mexico-storm-deaths-continue-rise-after-tropical-systems-and-mudslides-20131003
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