A week after floods, much of central Mexico continues to grapple with devastation

The stench of decay spread for miles around Poza Rica on Wednesday, one of the areas hardest hit by last week’s torrential rains that caused flooding in central and eastern Mexico.

In the center of this oil-producing city near the Gulf of Mexico, a cloud of dust hung over the main thoroughfare where soldiers were constantly on duty. Farther east, near the Cajones River – which was overflowing Friday – many roads still lay under 3 feet (1 meter) of water and mud, with 6 feet (2 meters) of trash, furniture and debris piled on top.

“A week later, it looks terrible – even worse. You can’t even cross the street,” lamented Ana Luz Saucedo, who fled with her children when the water came “like the ocean.”

Now, he said, he fears infection because apart from the garbage and mud, there is also a dead body near his house which has not been picked up yet. “The body has started to decompose, and no one has come for it.”

The death toll from last week’s devastating rains, floods and landslides is becoming clearer as Mexico’s government ramps up rescue and recovery efforts.

As of Wednesday, the government recorded 66 deaths, while the number of missing reached 75. About 200 communities remain cut off – most of them in the central mountain region of Hidalgo, where helicopters have struggled to reach them due to persistent cloud cover.

Authorities have blamed the disaster on the convergence of several weather systems – two tropical systems along with a cold front and a warm front – which hit especially as the intense rainy season ended, leaving rivers saturated and hills weakened.

But residents like Saucedo believe the warnings came too late – at least in Poza Rica.

“Many people died because they didn’t notice – in fact, they didn’t warn us,” he said. “They came only when the river was already high…not before, so people could get out.”

mexican president claudia sheinbaum said this week that alert systems for such events do not work the same way as those used for hurricanes. However, he acknowledged that once the emergency phase ends, officials will need to review river maintenance and emergency protocols to determine “what worked, what we need to improve and whether there are better warning mechanisms.”

Emergency deployment of soldiers, marines and civilian teams continued to the most affected states, along with assistance from hundreds of volunteers.

For example, in Poza Rica, a group of women who came from the port city veracruz Prepared clothing and distributed 1,000 tamales for flood victims.

Meanwhile, officials are working to restore access and bring power back to dozens of blocked roads, as well as monitoring dams – many of which are now at maximum capacity.

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