Introduction to the Disaster
POZA RICA, Mexico — Fifteen minutes before water from a flooded stream swept into her home, Lilia Ramírez took off running with what little she could carry. When she returned, she found not only damage from the water that had flooded her first floor to the ceiling, but the oil it had carried now streaking her walls. Poza Rica is an oil town, and among the challenges confronting some residents who fled flooding that has killed 64 people across five states and left 65 missing, is residue from the oil that built this city not far from the Gulf of Mexico. Authorities say some 100,000 homes across the region have been damaged by the torrential rains and flooding.
The Impact of the Flood
“Never before has it been tarred before like that,” Ramírez said Monday standing in her devastated ground floor, where walls that had once been pink were now vertically striped with black. Mexico has deployed some 10,000 troops in addition to civilian rescue teams. Helicopters have ferried food and water to the 200 some communities that remained cut off by ground and carried out the sick and injured. “There are sufficient resources, this won’t be skimped on … because we’re still in the emergency period,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said during her daily press briefing Monday.
Cleanup Efforts
But on some streets in Poza Rica, 170 miles northeast of Mexico City, the cleanup of mud and debris was complicated by thick oil deposits on trees, roofs, and vehicles tossed by the current that swept through Friday.
A plush toy lies in the mud inside a flooded house in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, after torrential rains. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Felix Marquez / AP
Heavy Rains and Oil Spills
Parts of Veracruz state received some 24.7 inches of rain from Oct. 6 to 9. Ramírez said that at other times of heavy rains, the state oil company Pemex had drained nearby areas with oil to avoid it spreading. Roberto Olvera, one of her neighbors, said that a siren from a nearby Pemex facility alerted them to danger. “It was a really anguishing moment because a lot of people from the neighborhood stayed behind and some perished,” he said. Pemex said in a brief statement to the AP that so far it did not have reports of an oil spill in the area.
Government Response
Sheinbaum acknowledged it could still be days before access is established to some places. “A lot of flights are required to take sufficient food and water” to those places, she said. The president denied that government systems had failed to provide sufficient warning. “It would have been difficult to have had much advance knowledge of this situation, (it’s) different from with hurricanes,” she said. Mexico’s Civil Protection agency said the heavy rains had killed 29 people in Veracruz state on the Gulf Coast as of Monday morning, and 21 people in Hidalgo state, north of Mexico City. At least 13 were killed in Puebla, east of Mexico City. Earlier, in the central state of Querétaro, a child died in a landslide. Authorities have attributed the deadly downpours to two tropical systems that formed off the western coast of Mexico and have since dissipated, Hurricane Pricilla and Tropical Storm Raymond.
Conclusion
The recent flooding in Mexico has brought significant challenges to the residents of Poza Rica and other affected areas. The combination of heavy rains, oil spills, and lack of access to basic necessities has made the situation even more difficult. The government has deployed troops and rescue teams to help with the cleanup and provide aid to those in need. However, it may take days or even weeks for some areas to recover from the disaster. It is essential for the government and other organizations to work together to provide sufficient resources and support to those affected by the flooding.
FAQs
Q: What caused the flooding in Mexico?
A: The flooding in Mexico was caused by heavy rains from two tropical systems that formed off the western coast of Mexico, Hurricane Pricilla and Tropical Storm Raymond.
Q: How many people were killed by the flooding?
A: According to Mexico’s Civil Protection agency, the heavy rains had killed at least 64 people across five states.
Q: How many homes were damaged by the flooding?
A: Authorities say some 100,000 homes across the region have been damaged by the torrential rains and flooding.
Q: What is the government doing to help those affected by the flooding?
A: The government has deployed some 10,000 troops in addition to civilian rescue teams to help with the cleanup and provide aid to those in need.
Q: How long will it take for some areas to recover from the disaster?
A: It could still be days or even weeks before access is established to some places, and it may take longer for those areas to recover from the disaster.
