Rain or pipe leak creates Tijuana disaster

Nineteen families were left homeless over the weekend following a series of landslides in the Anexa Miramar neighborhood of Tijuana, with more mandatory evacuations expected.

Initial press accounts on Saturday, May 16, reported a dozen houses had been evacuated, but by the following morning that number had grown to nearly 20.

A story published May 17 in El Sol de Tijuana reported that 21 houses had been identified by authorities as at risk, and that 19 homes had already collapsed.

Civil defense authorities continue periodic inspections of homes in the neighborhood in an effort to identify residences that have been so damaged by the landslides that they present a risk to those living in them.

Residents of the evacuated homes have been blocked by city officials from returning to collect their belongings and have been left basically with the clothes on their backs and what they could carry when first told to get out.

Baja California governor Francisco Vega toured the affected neighborhood with his wife and a team of state officials on May 16. He promised the state would help residents find temporary food and shelter until the crisis is over.

Authorities said they had still not determined the cause of the slides, but area residents had two theories: the heavy rains last Thursday, May 14; or an unattended leak in a state-maintained water pipe had saturated the ground over time and caused the disaster. Residents told newspapers they had repeatedly complained to the state water utility but to no avail.