Imagine waking up to the sound of a roaring wall of water, knowing it’s too late to escape. That’s exactly what happened to residents in the low-lying, working-class neighborhoods of Poza Rica, Mexico, when the Cazones River burst its banks, flooding streets with over 12 feet of water at dawn on Friday. But here’s where it gets even more devastating: by Saturday, the water had receded, leaving behind scenes of pure chaos—cars dangling from treetops, a dead horse trapped inside a pickup truck, and a death toll that climbed to at least 41. This isn’t just a story about rain; it’s a stark reminder of how nature’s fury collides with human vulnerability.
In Veracruz state, more than 21 inches of rain fell between October 6 and 9, turning streets into rivers and homes into ruins. Poza Rica, an oil town 170 miles northeast of Mexico City, had little warning before the deluge hit. Some residents sensed danger hours earlier, grabbing what they could before fleeing. Others, like 27-year-old Shadack Azuara, weren’t so lucky. Searching for his uncle in the early hours of Friday, Azuara found him shirtless, facedown in the murky water surrounding his bed, apparently drowned. ‘We thought he had evacuated,’ Azuara said, his voice heavy with grief. And this is the part most people miss: despite hours of calls, no authorities arrived to retrieve the body, leaving families to grapple with loss and bureaucracy.
The devastation wasn’t confined to Poza Rica. In Hidalgo, north of Mexico City, 16 people were killed, and 150 communities lost power. Puebla, to the east, saw at least nine deaths and over 16,000 homes damaged or destroyed. Veracruz state alone reported 15 deaths, with the army and navy rescuing residents from 42 isolated communities. Across the country, over 320,000 people faced power outages, and authorities blamed the deadly downpours on Tropical Storm Priscilla and Tropical Storm Raymond, both remnants of hurricanes off Mexico’s western coast.
As night fell in Poza Rica, heavy machinery rumbled through muddy streets, but the absence of electricity and limited presence of the National Guard left residents to fend for themselves. Across Veracruz’s 55 municipalities, another 16,000 homes were damaged, adding to the misery. But here’s a thought-provoking question: Could better infrastructure and faster emergency response have saved lives? Or is this simply the inevitable cost of living in a world where extreme weather is becoming the new normal?
What’s your take? Do you think governments are doing enough to prepare for such disasters, or is this a wake-up call for more proactive measures? Let’s discuss in the comments.
