An ongoing and growing tragedy in our (Phoenix') Sister City of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico is bringing together people on both sides of the border and may highlight the critical need for proper standards and safeguards where young children, particularly, are involved.
Yesterday afternoon, around 2:30 pm local time, an explosion and fire in a nearby building quickly spread to the ABC Daycare Facility, which housed some 100 small children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years old. As of this moment, some 35 of those have perished, with 10-15 more in critical condition.
Ironically, at the time of the tragedy, both the Mayor of Hermosillo and Governor of Sonora had been in Phoenix to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the highly-successful Arizona-Mexico Commission/Comision Sonora-Arizona. Further, most top police and public safety officials were at a conference in Tucson on cross-border security issues. All were able to quickly return to Hermosillo by plane to assist with the recovery and treatment activities. The patients were spread among five local hospitals in Hermosillo, and some of the remaining 50 affected children have begun to be life-flighted to the excellent Shriner's Hospital in Sacramento, California.
The City, State, and Federal Governments in Mexico have pulled out all the stops. This is an overwhelming tragedy that seems to be bringing together everyone, including political rivals in this hot campaign season that includes highly-contested races (PAN vs. PRI) for both Mayor and Governor ahead of next month's elections. Cross-border ties, between Phoenix and Hermosillo (more than 33 years of official friendship) and Arizona and Sonora and deep, broad, and close.
While it is very early on, I feel sure that, like the horrific earthquake damage to schools near Chengdu, Szechuan, China (another of our Sister Cities), which exposed substandard building codes and construction, this will lead to intense scrutiny of standards for such facilities. Attention in Mexico is certain to be far more open and transparent than in China. We were able to donate $170,000 to construct a new school in Szechuan.
Some years back we were able to host a Wheelchair Basketball Team from Hermosillo here in Phoenix. They played in tournaments, and against the Phoenix Suns-sponsored team at halftime of a Suns/Spurs game---a huge deal for these great guys from a poor barrio in Hermosillo!!!
Along with that, we had seminars on spinal cord injuries and architectural standards. I coordinated the latter, where we actually sat in the chairs, used ramps, opened doors, etc., to understand the necessity of the ADA Standards, which, unlike some bureaucratic standards, turn out to be fairly practical and effective.
Our Architect friends took back those standards, and, I'm proud to say, made them the law for all new construction in Greater Hermosillo. A similar review of relevant standards for daycare facilities may well be in order following proper addressing of the immediate tragedy.
My prayers and best wishes are with all the young families crushed by the loss or severe illness/injury of these small children. I fervently hope that some progress and good may yet come of this, and will work to see that it does.
A good source for up-to-date info on this terrible is the very fine Spanish-Language Hermosillo Newspaper El Imparcialhttp://www.elimparcial.com/
UPDATE:My first recced diary in all these years, folks...I hate that it has to do w/such a horrendous tragedy. I just hope our prayers, good wishes, and positive energy have some effect. A follow-up diary may be called for a week or two from now to evaluate the response on the ground. Help me watch for that, Mariachi Mama?
Good Lord, may some improvement, some progress come from this terrible loss!!!
UPDATE #2This issue, appropriately appears to be heating up rapidly!!! Mexican President Felipe Calderon just announced that he is headed to Hermosillo to see the situation for himself. Governor Eduardo Bours is also making noises about investigations. The toll is now at 35 dead, 41 hospitalized, the latter, as said before, in 5 hospitals in Hermosillo, but also now in Obregon, Guadalajara, and, of course, the Shriner Hospital in Sacramento.
Again, my sources are El Universal and El Imparcial. The latter has a photo of the huge black ribbon that has been placed at the top of the Municipal Palace. All public activities have ceased as three days of mourning have been declared. Pily Madrid de Gandara, wife of Mayor Ernesto and head of DIF Hermosillo, the Social Service Umbrella Agency (and a wonderful person!) has called on all Hermosillenses to do whatever they can in support of and solidarity with the families hit by this tragedy. So DIF Hermosillo could be another place for folks to turn to.