ANDREW LIMBONG, HOST:
Devastating floods have left at least 64 people dead in Mexico. NPR's Eyder Peralta reports there are still communities cut off from help, and 65 others are reported missing.
EYDER PERALTA, BYLINE: The torrential rains were caused by a meteorological confluence. In the Pacific, there were two tropical storms, then a cold front came in from the north and another low pressure system moved west to Veracruz. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said residents were warned that rivers would rise.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM: (Speaking Spanish).
PERALTA: "But knowing that it would be this intense," she said, "was impossible to predict." At least, she said, it would have been impossible to give ample warning. The rains fell Thursday and Friday. Five states were severely affected. The government estimates that 100,000 homes have been affected. In a town in Veracruz, a river broke its banks, and within 30 minutes, water had almost reached to the roof of the central bus station.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking Spanish).
(SOUNDBITE OF WATER RUSHING)
PERALTA: One woman caught it on tape and posted it on social media. It shows water rushing through the station with so much force that it dragged cars. From a perch on a rooftop, she sees a man trying to swim against the current.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking Spanish).
(SOUNDBITE OF WATER RUSHING)
PERALTA: "He's fighting for his life," she says. Another video posted online shows a boy shouting for help as he clings to a tree.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Speaking Spanish).
PERALTA: "The water is receding," a man on a nearby roof tells him.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Speaking Spanish).
PERALTA: "Just hold on a little bit longer."
President Sheinbaum toured the disaster area over the weekend. She rode on a military pickup across mud-caked roads, surveying businesses and homes that were completely destroyed by floodwaters. She was met with anger and frustration.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Speaking Spanish).
SHEINBAUM: (Speaking Spanish).
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Speaking Spanish).
PERALTA: One man said university students had been missing for three days, and there's been no help. The president tried to calm him. We're getting started, she tells him.
(CROSSTALK)
SHEINBAUM: (Speaking Spanish).
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Speaking Spanish).
(CROSSTALK)
PERALTA: "We've been here for three days," he says. "We've been sleeping out here for three days." President Sheinbaum said a whole of government rescue effort is on its way. Helicopters are ferrying food but some roads are still unpassable. Clearing those, she said, is the priority.
Eyder Peralta, NPR News, Mexico City.
(SOUNDBITE OF APHEX TWIN'S "AVRIL 14TH") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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