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Days after heavy rains drenched several parts of Mexico, the
country saw over the weekend the extension of devastation in
some states, where the flooding swept away vehicles and
destroyed houses and roads.
President Claudia Sheinbaum traveled to some of the states and
said the government will begin a census among affected people to
distribute aid.
Mexico's Civil Protection agency said as of Sunday night, the
heavy rains had killed 18 people in Veracruz state on the Gulf
Coast and 16 people in Hidalgo state, north of Mexico City. At
least 12 people were killed in Puebla, east of Mexico City.
Earlier, in the central state of Querétaro, a child died being
caught in a landslide.
That toll could still rise as rescue workers continued to dig
through sodden villages clogged with mud and debris on Sunday.
Civil Protection said at least 38 people were missing in three
different states.
Authorities have attributed the deadly downpours to two tropical
systems that formed off the western coast of Mexico and have
since dissipated, Hurricane Pricilla and Tropical Storm Raymond.
In Veracruz and Puebla, hundreds of army personnel, police
officers and firefighters conducted rescue operations and set up
temporary shelters where stranded residents could find food and
medical attention. Thousands of residents across the country
were still struggling with a lack of running water and
electricity.
“There are still various communities in Veracruz that find
themselves cut off that fortunately today they were able to
establish air bridges to be able to take food, water and attend
to any sick people,” Sheinbaum said on a visit to Veracruz
Sunday. “We know that there is a lot of desperation and worry.
We’re going to get to everyone.”
Parts of Veracruz state received some 21 inches (54 centimeters)
of rain from Oct. 6 to 9.
In Poza Rica, an oil town 170 miles (275 kilometers) northeast
of Mexico City, where Sheinbaum spoke with residents in muddy
streets, some low-lying neighborhoods saw 12 feet of water or
more when the Cazones River jumped its banks Friday.
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