By Kelly Simmons, Managing Editor and Senior Writer
Sub-zero temperatures and snow fall along the U.S.-Mexico border caused a number of deaths as well as school and road closures in early January. It was reported that the record-breaking cold was responsible for 23 deaths in the state of Nuevo Leon, 16 in Coahuila, 14 in Tamaulipas, 12 in Sonora, and at least 4 in Baja California and 5 in Chihuahua. The deaths were blamed on exposure and on gas fumes from heaters.
In Ciudad Juarez, 13 centimeters of snow fell during the storm as temperatures dipped to a record -9 degrees Celsius, paralyzing the metroplex on both sides of the border. In Juarez, at least one infant and three elderly people died from the cold and more than 30 were treated for carbon monoxide from malfunctioning heaters, while ten house fires were reported due to heaters. According to the Civil Protection authorities, icy roads and low visibility caused more than 60 car accidents. The Juarez-Chihuahua highway was closed for two days, the Benito Juarez airport for three days and several of the bridge crossings were closed over night due to the storm. During the worst of it, civil authorities in Juarez opened shelters for the homeless and police were picking people up and taking them in to protect them from the cold.
Across the border in El Paso, Texas, three deaths and nearly 150 traffic accidents were caused by the blizzard that brought the city to a standstill. U.S Interstate 10 was closed in both directions and schools and most public offices were closed.
In Tijuana, the bodies of four reportedly undocumented workers were found days after the storm and a woman and her child were also found dead after trying to cross into the U.S. during the cold weather.
In Ciudad Juarez, medical facilities and hospitals were full due to the aftermath of the storm, primarily with respiratory ailments. According to the Mexican Institute of Social Insurance, 100% of the pediatric beds were full and 60% of the emergency room beds were full throughout the city. Health authorities were issuing educational information regarding the care of children with flus and colds, prevention of illness and danger signs needing a doctor's attention.
Days after the storm, schools in Juarez and other northern towns tried to re-opened only to find frozen and broken water and gas pipes and a lack of heaters. 95% of students were reported absent. Ultimately school children lost a week of school work due to the storm and the school administrators and teachers have been meeting to discuss how to make up the lost 200 hours of work. A proposal by the director of State Education and Culture to extend the school calendar has been rejected by teachers and school authorities. They argue that in July it will be too hot and just as hard to work in the heat as it is to work in the cold. A teachers' union official also stated that an extension is out of the question because two years ago teachers worked an extra 20 days for nothing in return.
Businesses and manufacturers were hit hard economically by the storm. Many workers did not show up to work for several days and shoppers stayed home. According to the National Chamber of Commerce in Juarez, the absentee rate was around 30-40% with the larger stores managing to remain open while smaller enterprises closed. At one maquiladora, only 70 workers out of 540 showed up for work and all but one of ten production lines were closed down. Agricultural fields were also hit by the storm. According to the Corn Producers National Union in Mexico, more than 45,000 hectares of beans and corn in Sonora, Chihuaha and Sinaloa were affected by the arctic blast. 10,000 hectares of beans have been lost in Sinaloa, another 10,000 were lost in Sonora and 40,000 hectares of corn have been lost in Sonora, Chihuahua and Sinaloa.
Sources: Diario de Juarez, El Paso Times