Sanborn's Mexico Travel Insurance

Capufe (Mexico’s website for all toll roads and bridges) has announced the following as of today:

All types of vehicles have been allowed to transit through the freeway from Monterrey to Nuevo Laredo. There is a 4 km portion of the road that turns into a single lane on both sides (KM 142+700 to KM 146+700). Please drive slowly.

The roads from Reynosa to Monterrey are clear to drive. No problems have been reported.

The toll road from Matamoros to Ciudad Victoria (HWY 101) is still closed but the free route is opened to traffic.

If you have any questions about these or any other roads, you can call Capufe at 011527773292100 ext. 3869 or 01152018009903900 (24/7 line).

All the bridges in Laredo, TX are now open to cross into Mexico. Also,  the road from Laredo to Monterrey through the town of Anahuac has been opened for traffic.

Due to the heavy rains from Hurricane Alex, water is being released from the Amistad Dam into the Rio Grande River to help prevent further flooding in the neighboring cities.  Some bridges are being closed temporarily due to the significant increase in water in the Rio Grande River.

In Laredo, Bridge One, the older bridge downtown, will be closed today. The other bridges in Laredo, Bridge Two, also in the downtown area, the World Trade and Colombia bridges will all remain open because they are taller and will not be affected by the extra water.

Across the border from Del Rio in Ciudad Acuna, authorities in Mexico have decided to temporarily closed the border bridge as a precautionary measure from the flooding as well.

In Reynosa, the Anzalduas bridge which crosses into Mission, TX is also temporarily closed. You can contact the bridge to confirm when it will be open at (956) 843-2471.

The Northeastern portion of Mexico was hit hard by Hurricane Alex and has experienced a lot of flooding. Much of the toll road and free road to Monterrey are closed as well as the toll road for Monterrey – Zacatecas and Cd Victoria. The Aduana in Monterrey is closed until further notice. We’ve had reports from our customers that much of Monterrey is flooded and there have been many roads that are washed out. You can find some pictures from the effects of Hurricane Alex on our Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/sanborns.insurance?v=photos#!/album.php?aid=180228&id=6141244670

VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico — The Mexican government has declared parts of the Gulf coast state of Tabasco disaster zones due to flooding from days of heavy rains, freeing up federal relief funds for the area.

The Interior Department decree issued Monday covers the cities of Cardenas and Huimanguillo, where the government is handing out food and household goods to some of the estimated 200,000 people affected by high waters.

But flooded roads are making it difficult to get aid in. Some areas have been under water for about 10 days. Tabasco Gov. Andres Granier says some victims lack food and drinking water.

About 40,000 people remain in emergency shelters, but others are waiting out the floods on the roofs of their homes.

Thu Oct 29, 2009

A 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck off Mexico’s Gulf Coast on Thursday, shaking buildings in the coastal capital of Veracruz but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, public safety officials said.

“At present we have no news of any damage,” said a spokeswoman for the Veracruz state civil defense office.

State oil company Pemex, which has extensive oil and gas installations in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Gulf coast, said its facilities were operating normally.

“The ground shook quite strongly for a while, it was frightening but we have no reports of any problems,” said a Pemex spokesman in Veracruz.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the epicenter of the quake was offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, 45 miles (70 km) southeast of the port city of Veracruz.