Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Just when Puerto Vallarta breathed a sigh of relief following the passage of Hurricane ‘Lidia,’ an unexpected storm unleashed chaos late Wednesday afternoon. The sudden deluge, which began around 6:00 p.m., led to the overflowing two streams and caused an alarming level of flooding that impacted vehicles, public transport, and pedestrians.
Francisco Medina Ascencio, the central artery that transects the port city, experienced severe flooding at various intersections near the Las Glorias area. The Francisco Villa Colony was similarly affected. Roads like the Libramiento and Luis Donaldo Colosio saw rushing water from nearby rivers, with currents strong enough to sweep away vehicles.
In a frantic response, individuals inside the vehicles that were being carried off by the torrential waters made desperate attempts to escape. Some climbed onto the roofs of their cars, while others risked opening their doors, leading them to fall into the overflowing riverbeds. As of now, the exact number of people rescued from these harrowing circumstances remains uncertain.
Public transport was not spared either, with several buses compromised by the flooding. Passengers had to resort to using ropes tied to poles to disembark, as water levels surged to heights exceeding 80 centimeters on some avenues.
Until this point, there has been a lack of comprehensive reporting from either the municipal or state governments concerning the response to the emergency or its overall impact. Mayor Luis Alberto Michel offered only limited comments, stating that all streams within the municipality were operating at the brink of their capacity and were beginning to overflow. He urged residents to seek shelter but provided no further details.
Josué Sánchez Tapetillo, a hydrology specialist, provided some insight into the unexpected flooding. He explained that the soils were already saturated due to the previous impact of Hurricane ‘Lidia’, rendering them incapable of absorbing more water. “The rain, therefore, ran superficially, exacerbated by a severe storm and basins of considerable width. This was the perfect combination to produce these distressing scenes,” Tapetillo warned.
