2. Since the 70’s and as a preamble to the disasters to
come, different cities of the world started to
experience the atmospheric contamination
phenomenon, which lead to some countries warning
about the need to reduce the pollution gases freed
into the atmosphere, a call very few listened.
3. In Mexico, the damages of global
warming and environmental unbalance
have been evident for various decades.
The worst natural disasters started to
register as earthquakes and climatic
events. On the 19th of September 1985,
Mexico City lived one of the
catastrophes that marked the country’s
history, thousands of persons died
under the rubble of tens of buildings
because of the first earthquake of 8.1
degrees on the Richter scale, and a
lower intensity replica the following
day.
4. In 1988, almost three years later, Hurricane
Gilberto hit the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico,
causing damages mainly in Yucatan. The
hurricane devastated more than 50% of the
beaches, destroying services and
infrastructure.
5. In 1995 Hurricane Henriette touched land on Cabo
San Lucas and Sinaloa, obligating the intervention of
the Ministry of National Defense services for helping
the victims, and that same year Hurricane Ismael
arrived at Topolobampo. During that same year, in
October, the country lived an earthquake on the
coasts of Guerrero, Oaxaca, Jalisco and Colima. In
September 1997, the same areas of Oaxaca and
Acapulco felt the force of Hurricane Paulina.
6. Environmental disasters have been present
with more and more intensity in the country;
their consequences are becoming more
permanent; adding besides, the overflowing
of rivers in 1999, in areas of Hidalgo,
Veracruz, Tabasco, Puebla, Tlaxcala and
Oaxaca.
