At her Tuesday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum said that the death toll associated with the flooding in recent days in Veracruz, Hidalgo, Puebla and Querétaro remained at 64.
That number of fatalities, along with the figure of 65 missing people, was reported at the president’s press conference on Monday.
Another state affected by flooding is San Luis Potosí. However, that state hasn’t recorded any rain-related fatalities.
Scores of communities remain cut off due to flooding
Jesús Antonio Esteva Medina, minister for infrastructure, communications and transport, reported that many communities in states where major flooding occurred in recent days are still cut off.
He said that 77 communities in Puebla remain isolated, along with 57 in Veracruz and “two or three” in Querétaro.
Sheinbaum said that “there are isolated communities” of varying sizes. Some have 500 residents, others have 1,000 residents and some are larger, she said.
Esteva also reported that there are more than 200 “incidents” and “interruptions” still affecting state highways in flood-affected states.
He said that 115 of those incidents and interruptions — including flooding and landslides — are being attended to, while 144 are yet to be addressed.
Flooding death toll reaches 64, Veracruz most affected with 29 dead, 18 missing
Esteva also said that 39 bridges remain “affected” by flooding and landslides, while two “interruptions” on federal highways have not yet been cleared.
Thousands of workers, including army and navy personnel, are working to clear affected roads, while 41 helicopters are delivering food, water and other supplies to isolated communities, according to information presented by the federal minister.
Sheinbaum said that state governments, the army and the navy are ensuring that people affected by flooding are getting the help they need.
Damage census is underway
Welfare Minister Ariadna Montiel Reyes reported that a census to assess damage in communities affected by flooding had commenced.
“We’re giving priority to the communities that were most affected and which we can already reach,” she said.
“Yesterday we attended to 30 municipalities,” Montiel said, adding that the census has not concluded.
She said that a total of 800 government workers (known as servants of the nation) would carry out the census in Poza Rica, a flood-affected municipality in Veracruz.
“I informed the president last night that we decided to increase the number of colleagues [in Poza Rica] in order to make quick progress with the census,” Montiel said.
Sheinbaum visited Poza Rica on Sunday and faced criticism from locals over the government’s response to the flooding.
Montiel said that government workers would get to “every last corner where we need to conduct the census,” despite some communities still being cut off.
People affected by the floods will receive government assistance such as cash payments and packages of household goods.
Sheinbaum said that assistance will be provided to residents of affected municipalities soon after the census is finished in each local area.
“We’re not going to wait,” she said.
Sheinbaum stresses importance of cleanup efforts
Sheinbaum said that “cleanliness” and “sanitation” have to be guaranteed in all flood-affected areas in order to “avoid any increase [in cases] of dengue, mainly, especially in places of higher temperature.”
Standing water creates ideal breeding grounds for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the primary carriers of dengue.
Sheinbaum said that “a lot of machinery” has been sent to flood-affected areas to assist the cleanup efforts.
She also said that more government workers are traveling to flood-affected municipalities to help clean streets and homes.
“I repeat, machinery is arriving because municipal machinery is not sufficient to collect [all] the trash,” Sheinbaum said.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
