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More than 300 communities in central and eastern Mexico The state remained cut off by deadly landslides and floods on Tuesday, as thousands of soldiers and civilian workers struggled to reopen blocked roads.
The government has confirmed that at least 64 people have died due to the torrential rains. Dozens are still missing and officials warn that the full extent of the devastation in remote towns of between 500 and 1,000 residents is unknown.
The confluence of two tropical storms unleashed rain on Mexico’s west coast at the end of an unusually heavy rainy season, causing rivers to swell and hills to weaken.
“Reopening the roads is one of our greatest urgencies,” President claudia sheinbaum Said. “We have to secure air bridges, food supplies, water and check how everyone is faring.”
To prevent the outbreak of dengue, a disease spread by mosquitoes, health teams have started fumigating the affected areas.
The most affected states are veracruzhidalgo and pueblaIn Hidalgo alone, where about half the isolated villages are located, about 100,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by river flooding and landslides. In Veracruz, where at least 29 people died, rainfall reached 24 inches in just four days. Veracruz Governor Rocío Nahle said more than 300,000 people were affected in the state alone.
In Poza Rica, resident Roberto Olvera said an oil refinery alarm alerted him to rising waters from the nearby Cazones River, which reached 13 feet (4 meters) in some areas.
“It was horrific, many people in the neighborhood could not survive,” he said. The flood waters also left a black, oily residue there, which is believed to have come from nearby oil and gas installations, trees and rooftops.
Dozens of health centers were damaged, including one in Alamo, Veracruz, where floodwaters reached two meters (6.5 ft), destroying all equipment. Local health director Marty Batrese said medical staff are now working outside.
While thousands of soldiers and rescue teams are searching for missing people and delivering aid, helicopters are delivering supplies to isolated areas and private construction companies are helping reopen major roads.
Sheinbaum said there were adequate resources to respond and that the government “will leave no stone unturned during this emergency.”
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