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After disastrous flooding, Tamaulipas is picking up the pieces

MND Staff
By MND Staff
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Workers for disaster relief agency clear floodwaters in Reynosa
Various government agencies, including the national water agency Conagua, are coordinating relief efforts in Reynosa. (Conagua/Facebook)

Authorities are assessing the damage in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, as the city recovers from heavy rainfall and flooding that hit the Mexico-U.S. border last week. 

Local authorities in Reynosa rescued nearly 2,000 people affected by the severe flooding — victims who were either in high-risk areas or trapped in their vehicles. According to the Associated Press, four individuals were reported dead.

Officials are now working to understand the scale of the destruction, clearing out waterlogged furniture, and working to sanitize affected homes, schools and streets. 

Luis Gerardo González de la Fuente, head of Tamaulipas Civil Protection, said that Reynosa was the most affected city. However, parts of the border towns of Río Bravo, Miguel Alemán and Matamoros, across from Brownsville, were also impacted.

To aid victims, authorities have established temporary shelters offering refuge, basic services, and medical care. Additionally, the Defense Ministry and National Guard set up a community kitchen to provide food for those in need.

The National Meteorological Service reported 316 mm of rain in Reynosa on March 26 and 27 — meaning the city received 80% of its average annual rainfall in just two days. 

State Congressman Humberto Prieto Herrera said that the Tamaulipas legislature may request that Reynosa — Tamaulipas’ largest city — be declared a federal disaster zone.

Prieto Herrera added that local government will propose tax reforms and waive the payment of public road usage fees for three months. The measures, he said, are intended to support street vendors from April through June, in order to help them get back on their feet after the crisis.

Flooded downtown Reynosa
Reynosa’s street vendors hope to return soon after the flood water recedes. (Unsplash)

Tamaulipas is no stranger to flooding. In 2010, Hurricane Alex caused the Rio Grande to overflow its banks and saw the Reynosa Customs warehouses flood.

However, last week’s rainfall was not the result of a hurricane. Instead, it was due to unusual weather patterns caused by a storm system that passed over the border town of Díaz Ordaz, triggering flash flooding that extended to the Rio Grande and Reynosa. 

 With reports from ABC Tamaulipas, Associated Press, La Jornada and Mas Tamaulipas

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