When the river that winds through Chapula, a small mountain village in central Mexico, suddenly became a roaring wall of water last week, residents had only moments to warn each other and scramble for safety. In mere hours, the 400-person community was nearly erased—its homes, bridge, and streets washed away by catastrophic flooding and landslides. As 21-year-old Stephanie Ramírez, one of the survivors, told The Associated Press, "There’s nothing left. It wiped out houses, it wiped out the bridge, it wiped out everything. The only thing left standing was the church and the warehouse where we were seeking refuge."
This disaster is just one grim chapter in a broader crisis that has engulfed central and eastern Mexico since early October 2025. More than 300 communities, many tucked away in remote mountains, have been cut off from the outside world. The official death toll stands at 64, with dozens still missing and the fate of many isolated villages unknown, according to the Mexican government. The devastation has left thousands of families homeless, entire neighborhoods submerged, and vital infrastructure in ruins.
The root of this catastrophe lies in the rare convergence of two tropical storms—Priscilla and Raymond—churning off Mexico’s western coast. Their combined force struck at the tail end of an unusually heavy rainy season, causing rivers to overflow and hillsides to give way. As reported by The Independent, the relentless downpours led to widespread power outages and made already weakened slopes even more vulnerable to landslides. The result: a humanitarian emergency spanning the states of Veracruz, Hidalgo, and Puebla, with Veracruz and Hidalgo bearing the brunt.
In Hidalgo alone, roughly half of the isolated villages are located, and about 100,000 homes were either damaged or destroyed by the flooding and mudslides. Power was cut to at least 150 communities in the region, deepening the sense of isolation and despair. Meanwhile, in Veracruz, rainfall reached a staggering 24 inches in just four days. The state’s governor, Rocío Nahle, told CNN that more than 300,000 people had been affected and at least 29 had died. The town of Poza Rica, famous for its oil industry, saw floodwaters rise to 13 feet (4 meters) in some neighborhoods on October 10, leaving behind a black, oily residue believed to have seeped from nearby oil and gas installations.
"It was terrifying, many people in the neighborhood couldn’t escape," Poza Rica resident Roberto Olvera recounted to AP. The floodwaters not only destroyed homes but also coated trees, rooftops, and streets with a sticky, hazardous film. Health concerns quickly followed: dozens of health centers were damaged, including one in Álamo where water reached two meters (6.5 feet), destroying all medical equipment. Local health director Martí Batres told CNN that staff were now forced to work outdoors, improvising in the face of overwhelming need.
As the scale of the disaster became clear, the Mexican government moved swiftly to mobilize resources. President Claudia Sheinbaum declared that the National Emergency Committee would remain in permanent session to coordinate relief efforts. “We are sparing no resources to support the population affected by the rains,” Sheinbaum said, as quoted by The Independent. She also emphasized that reopening roads, securing air bridges, and delivering food and water to stranded communities were urgent priorities. “Reopening roads is one of our greatest urgencies. We have to secure air bridges, food supplies, water, and check on how each person is faring,” Sheinbaum stated, according to AP.
On the ground, the response has been massive. Some 10,000 troops have joined thousands of civilian rescue workers to search for the missing, deliver aid, and clear debris. Helicopters have become lifelines, ferrying supplies to isolated towns and evacuating the sick and elderly. In Chapula, when official help was slow to arrive, residents took matters into their own hands. As Ramírez described, they reached out to relatives in the United States, who helped organize a private air bridge using a borrowed helicopter. Local volunteers, with help from nearby Tianguistengo, carried bags of basic goods on foot—sometimes for six or seven hours—to reach neighboring villages still cut off by the disaster.
"We want people to know that we’re working … that they can see we also care about their situation," local resident Neptalí Rodríguez told AP. This spirit of solidarity has been echoed in many affected towns, where neighbors have banded together to distribute food, water, and medicine.
One of the most pressing concerns now is the threat of disease. Health teams have begun fumigating affected areas to prevent outbreaks of dengue, a mosquito-borne illness that thrives in stagnant water left by floods. According to CNN, the government’s public health response has included door-to-door checks to account for missing people and to assess urgent needs. The black, oily residue in Poza Rica and other towns has also raised environmental and health alarms, with authorities working to identify and contain potential hazards from damaged oil and gas infrastructure.
Despite the scale of the disaster, the government insists that resources are sufficient. “We will spare no expense during this emergency,” President Sheinbaum promised on October 14. Private construction firms have joined the effort to reopen key roads, and helicopters continue to deliver aid to the most inaccessible communities. Yet, for many, the recovery will be long and arduous. In Hidalgo, entire villages remain without power or running water, and the full extent of the damage in remote areas is still being assessed.
For travelers, the impact has been limited. As The Independent reported, flights in and out of Mexico City, Veracruz, and Puebla airports have seen little to no disruption, and the UK government has not issued special travel warnings for the affected regions. However, officials recommend that visitors monitor local weather updates, check with airlines, and follow directions from local authorities in case conditions worsen.
As the rains subside and the waters slowly recede, the people of central and eastern Mexico are left to pick up the pieces. The stories emerging from Chapula, Poza Rica, and hundreds of other communities are ones of loss, resilience, and the quiet heroism of neighbors helping neighbors. While the government’s emergency response continues, it is clear that the road to recovery will require not just resources, but patience, determination, and the unwavering support of communities both near and far.