News Summary for Saturday July 10, 2010

++ Authorities in Reynosa in the border state of Tamaulipas warned that the Río Grande was expected to rise another two meters and water levels could reach 15 meters… Officials called urgently on all families living alongside the riverbanks to seek higher ground or head to shelters. Authorities opened two flood channels alongside the Río Grande to release water and try to bring water levels down.

++ Officials in Anáhuac, in the state of Nuevo León, said that if rains continue as heavy as they have been, it would be two more weeks before 4,300 families evacuated from their homes could go back. The Interior Secretariat declared an emergency in 25 out of 38 municipalities in Coahuila after the heavy rains unleashed by hurricane Alex… The Monclova river flooded over and residents in 18 districts were evacuated. Rains also damaged 2,000 schools in the state, in some the damage was partial and others lost all school furniture and equipment.

++ National Water Commission chief José Luis Luege acknowledged the federal government lacked the funds to repair damages caused by Hurricane Alex in northern Mexico.

++ Interior Secretary Fernando Gómez Mont presented an agenda to build democratic security in Mexico within a framework for dialogue proposed by President Felipe Calderón. Gómez Mont said the time had come to join police commands, discuss the National Security Law, approve better reforms to combat money laundering, commercial piracy, extortions, kidnapping and people trafficking. PRD leader Jesús Ortega said all political forces should sit down with the federal government to discuss the issue of national security. President Felipe Calderón met privately with the Permanent Agrarian Congress which backed his proposal to create a joint front to address organized crime.

++ The Labor Secretariat announced that on July 13 it would present the new and third format to pay severance to over 16,000 former workers with the Luz y Fuerza del Centro power utility… The payments would be as stipulated by law and include an additional bonus…