Mexico City [Mexico], October 12 (ANI): Heavy rains in Mexico set off widespread flooding and landslides this week that killed at least 41 people across four states, damaged thousands of houses and roads, cut off power to entire communities and forced hundreds to evacuate their homes, the authorities said, New York Times reported.
The authorities linked the rain to Post-Tropical Cyclone Priscilla, formerly a hurricane, and to Tropical Storm Raymond, both off western Mexico in the Pacific Ocean.
Forecasters expect the rain to continue this weekend, as per New York Times.
By Saturday, the rainfall and landslides had killed at least 41 people across four states, Mexico’s civil protection agency said in a statement. Sixteen of the deaths were in the state of Hidalgo, north of Mexico City; nine were in the state of Puebla, east of Mexico City; 15 were in the state of Veracruz and one was in Queretaro, the statement said. The authorities were searching for another 27 missing people, it added.
Between Monday and Thursday, intense rainfall was recorded across the states, with the highest being recorded in Veracruz, which received over 21 inches, the statement said.
President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico said on social media that the government was working to “support the population, open roads and restore electricity,” as reported by New York Times.
More than 3,20,000 users were affected by power outages caused by the heavy rains and winds, the Mexican government said.
The torrential rains have damaged at least two bridges and affected more than 600 miles of federal highways across five states, Sheinbaum said.
Thousands of soldiers were carrying out rescues and clearing roads on Friday. The Navy, which deployed 3,300 troops, said that it had carried out more than 900 evacuations. The Mexican authorities said that they had activated more than 5,400 troops from the Army, Air Force and National Guard.
The Mexican government said in an earlier statement that the greatest impacts had been reported in the states of Veracruz, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Puebla and Hidalgo. It added that municipalities in Veracruz had been hit particularly hard, with 16,000 homes damaged, landslides on roads and flooded streams, as per New York Times.
Julio Menchaca, the governor of Hidalgo, said on social media on Thursday that all classes had been suspended because of the heavy rains. Reyna, the state’s interior secretary, said that at least 1,000 homes, 308 schools and 59 hospitals had been damaged.
The storm in Hidalgo also cut off power to 17 municipalities and left 90 communities without communication. Hidalgo’s infrastructure officials posted photos of landslides covering roads and workers trying to clear rocks and branches that had fallen.
The same storms were expected to bring the risk of heavy rain and flash flooding across desert areas of the American Southwest this weekend. (ANI)
