Some 200 people were left homeless in Puebla by the rains, while in the eastern state of Veracruz, rivers swelled with rainwater and dozens of families were evacuated. The death toll from the remnants of Hurricane Earl grows to nearly 40 in Mexico as a new tropical storm forms off the country’s Pacific Coast.
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“We rescued ourselves, because if we hadn’t, well who knows, because some people were killed, ” said another man.
Several highways in Puebla were ripped up, two bridges collapsed and power was knocked out in several towns.
Communities in two states were digging out from weekend mudslides during heavy rains brought by remnants of Earl, which slammed into Mexico’s Gulf coast.
Rafael Morena Valle, governor of Puebla state, said canine units were searching for the missing, but the number of unaccounted for residents was unclear.
In the state of Veracruz, 11 people were killed due to landslides and flooding, Governor Javier Duarte wrote on Twitter. Officials said more than half of those killed were minors. The storm was moving west-northwest at about 22 kilometers per hour.
However, worse may be yet to come for Mexico as the next tropical storm of the season, named Javier, was forming on Sunday off the country’s Pacific Coast.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Javier formed off Mexico’s Pacific Coast on Sunday and headed northward.
Hurricane conditions are forecast over Mexico’s Baja California peninsula as a result of the latest storm to hit Central America.
Javier, which could strengthen to hurricane status by Monday afternoon, was expected to bring heavy rains and high winds to southwestern Mexico in the coming days, USA weather forecasters said. It was moving west-northwest at about 13 miles per hour (20 kph).Heavy rains of between 4 and 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) were expected, along with high winds.
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Javier strengthened slightly on Sunday night, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in a statement, and was expected to approach the southern portion of Baja California on Monday.
