This year it has rained more than usual. We had already discussed it in relation to Mexico City, and now we must do the same for the basins of the central Gulf of Mexico, generally known as the Huasteca. From the Sierra Gorda of Querétaro, down through San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, Puebla, and Veracruz, the rainfall caused by Hurricane Priscila and Tropical Storm Raymond has triggered severe flooding throughout the region.
This is not an extraordinary phenomenon, though it isn’t frequent either. We have long been familiar with floods caused by hurricanes. Almost exactly 26 years ago, in the first week of October 1999, the region was devastated by floods that claimed nearly 400 lives and left half a million people homeless. Also in October, but in 2007, Noel caused severe flooding in Chiapas and Tabasco. And nearly every year, we have less serious and more localized events.
Although it’s commonly believed that these kinds of events have become more frequent with global warming, there seems to be no evidence of that (though there is evidence for heat waves and cold snaps). I think it’s important to say this because governments avoid responsibility by blaming tragedies on a global phenomenon that no one controls. These types of floods, while not common, are known to be possible.
While material damage cannot be avoided, it is possible to significantly reduce loss of life by acting in time. For that, it’s essential to have the best possible meteorological technology first, and then effective civil protection protocols to disseminate information. In Spain, a few months ago, there was a tragedy that could have been prevented, but those responsible for communication failed. The same has happened in Mexico, but I believe we also have major deficiencies in meteorological monitoring itself.
As with nearly everything else, the previous administration and the current one have cut budgets without considering the consequences. Just as they left us without medicine, or with infrastructure in constant decay, they also reduced funding for animal health and for meteorological services. Even before, we had long suffered from underinvestment in this area, but things have worsened in recent years. Although I believe that those who work at the National Meteorological Service and Conagua are doing their best, there’s no magic.
The reports from both agencies, on October 9 and 10, spoke of torrential rains in the Pacific but only “very heavy” ones in the now-devastated zone. However, the rainfall accumulation forecast for October 7–10 already indicated a high risk for the Cazones and Tuxpan rivers. With that information, it would have been essential to warn the population to take precautions. That wasn’t done. In Poza Rica, people only realized what was happening when Pemex’s alarm went off—delayed by the lack of efficient protocols.
Sheinbaum arrived in the area three days after the tragedy began, which is why she faced harsh criticism from residents, to which she responded with her usual lack of empathy. The state governors, except in the case of Querétaro, have been negligent or even insulting—like Rocío Nahle, who tends to dismiss her government’s failures. There have been problems with the response, from evidence of obstruction of citizen aid to the use of Morena’s colors on government relief supplies, not to mention the major absurdity of setting up government-run collection centers!
As you know, the Natural Disaster Fund (Fonden) was eliminated by the previous government, so that its trust resources could be used for one of its white elephants. Nahle, as if that weren’t enough, canceled the state insurance fund. Now, the government must cut someone’s budget to move money around. As I’ve said before: they are exclusionary, undisciplined, greedy, and incompetent.