The atypical rains recorded last week in several areas of the country have left nearly fifty people dead and a still-unquantified population in a situation of extreme vulnerability, with partial or total property losses, and without shelter or food. Initially, the situation was aggravated by more than a hundred road closures on the federal highway network due to landslides, mudslides, fallen trees, and flooded rivers. Although the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transportation (SICT) has already resolved the vast majority of them, it is inevitable to assume that the impacts of the rainfall were similar or worse on state roads, rural roads, and urban and rural roads in various localities.
The dozen federal entities and nearly 150 municipalities that have suffered moderate to severe impacts present us with the evidence of a sudden and unforeseeable national emergency, which requires a response commensurate with the circumstances. The federal government has certainly responded promptly. President Claudia Sheinbaum has coordinated emergency assistance for those affected, both remotely and in person in the disaster areas.
It would be unfair to ignore the efforts made in this regard by the security cabinet, which includes the Ministries of the Interior, National Defense, the Mexican Navy, and the aforementioned SICT (National Commission of the Interior), in addition to the Federal Electricity Commission, the National Water Commission, Petróleos Mexicanos, and other agencies. These efforts include providing aid to the affected population, repairing the road network, restoring electricity and drinking water, and assisting in the search for and locating individuals. State and municipal authorities in the affected regions are also participating in this effort.
But the magnitude of the damage also demands the solidarity of the entire country's society, regardless of political affiliations and hatreds and regionalisms. It is hoped that generosity will be manifested in volunteer brigades organized in the disaster zones themselves, and in assistance to any of the aid collection centers; the most urgent immediate priority is to deliver medical supplies, medicines, food, and cleaning and personal hygiene items to the affected population.
The spirit of solidarity that characterizes our country has come to light in every tragic circumstance, both abroad and at home, and today, in the face of the tragedy that has befallen hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens, it is time for it to be expressed once again.
