At least 37 people were confirmed dead in Mexico on Oct. 11 after heavy rains from remnants of Hurricane Priscilla and Tropical Storm Raymond triggered landslides and flooding across central and southeastern Mexico.
According to Mexico’s National Coordination of Civil Protection, heavy rains killed 22 people in the state of Hidalgo, at least nine people in the state of Puebla, and five people in the state of Veracruz. In the state of Queretaro, a child died after being caught in a landslide.
Located north of Mexico City, 150 communities in Hidalgo lost power, accounting for just a part of the more than 320,000 accounts affected by power outages, according to authorities. In Puebla, which lies east of the capital city, more than 16,000 homes were either damaged or destroyed.
Mexican Army and Navy personnel were dispatched to Veracruz to help rescue residents of 42 communities after landslides and flooded streams left them isolated.
Authorities said thousands of soldiers have been called up to clear blocked roads and rescue missing people across the nation.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum shared updates of her government’s response on social media. As of Oct. 10, 5,400 defense personnel had been deployed to assist citizens, and nearly two-thirds of the total 610 miles of federal highways in the states of Hidalgo, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Veracruz affected by the torrential rains had been cleared. Two bridges were reported damaged.
Nearly 10,000 food baskets and nearly 31,000 liters of water were made ready for distribution, on top of several mobile kitchens and several water purification plants, which were deployed across the affected states.
Rainfall totals of four to six inches were expected across the states of Sinaloa, Sonora, and Chihuahua, bringing risks of flash flooding, especially in higher terrain. Rainfall of one to two inches was also expected across portions of Baja California Sur.
The Mexican government has discontinued all tropical storm warnings.
