As torrential rains battered central and eastern Mexico this October, the country found itself grappling with a disaster of staggering proportions. The deluge, which began in early October and intensified through the second week, has left entire communities isolated, at least 64 people dead, and 65 more missing. From the oil-streaked streets of Poza Rica to the mud-choked mountain paths of San Bartolo Tutotepec, the aftermath is a grim testament to nature’s fury and the resilience of those in its path.
According to the Associated Press, the death toll continued to rise as widespread flooding and landslides swept across five states, with Veracruz, Hidalgo, Puebla, and Querétaro among the hardest hit. By October 14, President Claudia Sheinbaum reported that the number of fatalities had stabilized at 64, a figure echoed in multiple official briefings. “There are sufficient resources, this won’t be skimped on ... because we’re still in the emergency period,” Sheinbaum assured during her daily press conference, emphasizing the government’s commitment to sustained relief efforts.
The numbers alone paint a daunting picture: more than 100,000 homes damaged, over 300 communities cut off from the outside world, and at least 200 state highway incidents—ranging from washed-out bridges to impassable landslides—still affecting the region as of mid-October. Jesús Antonio Esteva Medina, Mexico’s minister for infrastructure, communications, and transport, detailed the scale of the disruption, stating that 77 communities in Puebla, 57 in Veracruz, and several more in Querétaro remained isolated. “Reopening roads is one of our greatest urgencies,” President Sheinbaum declared, as quoted by Mexico News Daily. “We have to secure air bridges, food supplies, water, and check on how each person is faring.”
The cause of this catastrophe was a rare convergence of two tropical systems—Hurricane Pricilla and Tropical Storm Raymond—churning off Mexico’s western coast. The storms struck at the end of an unusually heavy rainy season, leaving rivers swollen and hillsides dangerously unstable. In some areas, like Poza Rica, the impact was compounded by the town’s oil industry legacy. Residents such as Lilia Ramírez returned to find their homes not only inundated but also stained with thick black oil carried by the floodwaters. “Never before has it been tarred before like that,” Ramírez told the Associated Press, pointing to the black stripes now marking her once-pink walls. Her neighbor, Roberto Olvera, recounted the terror when a Pemex facility siren wailed, warning of the impending flood. “It was a really anguishing moment because a lot of people from the neighborhood stayed behind and some perished,” he said.
Parts of Veracruz received an astonishing 24.7 inches (62.7 centimeters) of rain between October 6 and 9, according to the Civil Protection agency. The resulting floods swept away roads, bridges, and entire neighborhoods. In Hidalgo’s San Bartolo Tutotepec, survivor Cira Gonzalez described the night she and her daughter fled their collapsing home. “We felt like the ground was already sinking,” she told AFP, recalling the sound of stones tumbling and houses shaking in the darkness. After four days of isolation, Gonzalez and her daughter survived on little more than tortillas, unable to access cash or supplies as ATMs and roads were destroyed.
In response, the Mexican government mobilized an enormous relief operation. About 10,000 troops, supported by civilian rescue teams, were deployed with boats, planes, and helicopters to deliver critical food and water to the most inaccessible areas. Helicopters became lifelines, ferrying supplies to more than 200 cut-off communities and evacuating the sick and injured. “A lot of flights are required to take sufficient food and water” to those places, President Sheinbaum explained, acknowledging that it could still be days before ground access was restored to some towns.
Yet, the scale of devastation has tested even these robust efforts. Army bulldozers, sent to clear landslides in mountainous regions, often found their own weight causing further cracks in treacherous roads. In San Bartolo Tutotepec, military personnel managed to reach the worst-hit communities only by air. “The landslides had caused total devastation in the municipality’s communities,” Mayor Ubaldo Gonzalez told AFP, noting that residents were desperate for food but doing their best to support each other. On muddy mountain paths, residents like 73-year-old Lucio Islas volunteered their trucks to help neighbors exhausted from hours of hiking supplies into isolated villages. “We help each other,” Islas said simply.
The government’s response extended beyond immediate rescue. Welfare Minister Ariadna Montiel Reyes announced the launch of a massive damage census, with 800 government workers (dubbed “servants of the nation”) fanning out across Poza Rica and other affected municipalities. “We’re giving priority to the communities that were most affected and which we can already reach,” Montiel said, promising that no corner would be overlooked. The goal: deliver cash payments and household goods to every family in need, as soon as each local census was completed. “We’re not going to wait,” President Sheinbaum vowed.
Meanwhile, the threat of disease loomed large. Standing water left by the floods created ideal breeding grounds for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the primary carriers of dengue fever. Sheinbaum underscored the importance of cleanliness and sanitation in all flood-affected areas to “avoid any increase [in cases] of dengue, mainly, especially in places of higher temperature.” Health teams began fumigating neighborhoods and cleanup crews worked tirelessly, though the task was complicated in oil-affected areas where machinery was needed to remove both debris and hazardous residues. “Machinery is arriving because municipal machinery is not sufficient to collect [all] the trash,” Sheinbaum noted, highlighting the logistical challenges facing local authorities.
Despite the scale of the disaster, Sheinbaum denied that government systems had failed to provide adequate warning. “It would have been difficult to have had much advance knowledge of this situation, (it's) different from with hurricanes,” she said, addressing criticism from some residents frustrated by the speed and scope of the response. The president also praised the collaboration between state governments, the army, and the navy in ensuring aid reached those most in need.
As of October 15, the full extent of the devastation remained unclear—especially in remote towns where roads were still impassable and communications sporadic. With 64 confirmed dead, 65 still missing, and thousands displaced, the story of Mexico’s floods is far from over. But amid the mud, oil, and heartbreak, stories of solidarity and perseverance shine through, offering hope that even in the darkest hours, communities can come together to face the storm.