A Noise Like Thunder

• Share

(7 of 8)

Farther inland, at Atenquique, a town in Jalisco state, part of a mountain, said a policeman, "just slid away," burying several people. In nearby Ciudad Guzman, 25 people were killed as they worshiped in a church that collapsed on them. Elsewhere, four popular hotels in the hard-hit resort area of Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa, on the Pacific coast, had to be evacuated because of damage: Riviera del Sol, El Presidente, Dorado Pacifico and the Sheraton.

Along the Texas coast in East Galveston Bay, Hugh Brothers, 52, a Houston pharmacist, was casting for flounder in shallow water. "This swell came up from behind in the water. It didn't knock me down, but it was extraordinary. I looked around and saw there weren't any boats nearby, and I said, 'Where'd that come from?' Then everything was perfectly still." On the 48th floor of the 64-story Transco Tower in Houston, Martha Carlin saw "water sloshing around in the coffee urns. Office doors were closing, and the building was in motion. I looked out the window at the trees and they were standing still, so I knew the wind wasn't blowing." The tremors were also felt in McAllen and Brownsville, cities in the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas-Mexico border.

Beyond the widespread anguish caused by the quake, there was also deep concern in Mexico over the economic implications of the disaster. Already burdened with severe economic problems (see box), the nation was struck a savage blow. "There will be an immense cost," predicted Clemente Ruiz Duran, an economist and former official of Mexico's central bank. Reconstruction must await the end of the effort to rescue survivors. While cranes and heavy earthmoving equipment were scarce, federal and municipal officials moved swiftly after the blow came. The National Defense Secretariat activated a standing plan for just such an emergency, mobilizing armed forces units not only to prevent looting but to oversee rescue and repair activities.

The military operation began with the muster of several thousand troops in Mexico City's Zocalo. About 600 motorcycle troopers, able to dodge debris on otherwise closed streets, fanned out for a quick survey of the extent of the catastrophe. The army also made available 500 trucks to transport rescue workers from one site to another. Patrolling troops warned residents against lighting matches or smoking in neighborhoods where gas lines had ruptured. Water and food supplies appeared adequate, although distribution was far from normal. Even so, many poor residents began filling plastic pails with water as a precaution against possible shortages.

Following a personal inspection of some of the worst-hit parts of the city, President de la Madrid declared a state of emergency and proclaimed a three- day period of national mourning. Ronald Reagan tried to reach De la Madrid by telephone from Washington; like countless others in the U.S., the President was unable to get a connection. Instead, a message from Reagan was relayed by radio to the U.S. embassy and then delivered to De la Madrid. It offered U.S. condolences and help. But Mexico, which has historically resisted outside assistance following natural disasters, did not ask for aid.