We're just getting news now of the tragedy taking place in northern Oxaca, Mexico. Last night, as many as 300 houses in the village of Santa Maria Tlahuitoltepec were buried in a landslide caused by heavy rains. The number of people missing could run as high as 1,000. 

Strong scientific evidence suggests that global warming is leading to stronger and more dangerous hurricanes, as well as more intense rainfall in places like Mexico and Central America. Click here for more info on the connection between hurricanes and global warming from the PEW Center.

No matter the cause, helping strengthen community resilience to natural disasters is one of the major themes of the upcoming 10/10/10 Global Work Party. Our hearts go out to all the residents of Santa Maria Tlahuitoltepec and we wish them speed in rebuilding their community and protecting their homes and families from future disasters.

Here's a photograph of some of our friends in Oaxaca:

Here's more information on the flooding from the New York Times:

MEXICO CITY — Pounded by incessant rain, a hillside in the state of Oaxaca collapsed onto a village early Tuesday, burying houses in mud and stones and trapping hundreds of people as they slept, state authorities said.

As many as 300 houses in the village of the Santa Maria Tlahuitoltepec, in northern Oaxaca, may have been buried in the landslide, the governor of Oaxaca, Ulises Ruiz, told Mexican television. It was too early to say how many victims were trapped or buried under the earth, but Mr. Ruiz said that the number of missing could run as high as 1,000.

Military and naval units, state police and rescue workers were traveling to the remote village, along with earth-moving equipment, but progress was slow because the heavy rains had caused landslides that blocked the roads to the village.

“We hope to reach in time to rescue those families who were buried by the hill,” Mr. Ruiz told Televisa, a Mexican television network.

Tropical Storm Matthew caused heavy flooding in much of Oaxaca last week, but Santa Maria Tlahuitoltepec, in the Mixe region north of Oaxaca city, the state capital, receives heavy rainfall for much of the year. Under ordinary circumstances, the village is a four-hour drive from the state capital.

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