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When torrential rains hit a swath of Mexico last week, the Cazones River swelled so fast there was virtually no time to flee.
In mere hours, the river rose by many feet, the authorities and residents said, overtaking its banks and pouring into people’s homes, including in Poza Rica, a small working-class city in Veracruz State.
“The alert arrived when the wave was already on top of you,” Adán González Ortega, a 78-year-old resident, said in an interview on Thursday.
He made it to his sister’s house by the time the water was waist-deep, he said, but not everyone had been so lucky.
At least 70 people have died in the disaster and 72 others remain missing, officials said on Thursday, placing it among the worst flooding events in the country in recent years.
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The sudden flooding hit the Mexican states of Veracruz, Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro and Puebla. Rivers swept over banks, landslides blocked roads and many people were stranded in homes and cars, including some who were injured. Some places received around 20 inches of rain in just four days, government figures show.
The disaster has put intense pressure on the government, especially in light of a disaster fund slashed by the previous president and videos circulating widely on social media. Along with clips of a floating restaurant and of a man and his dogs rescued from a rushing river, one showed residents confronting the president herself over the official preparation and response.
“They didn’t say that anything like this was going to happen,” Mr. González said as he stood in mud at his home in Poza Rica.
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Some residents complained that it had taken too long for assistance to arrive. Others said the first to help were fellow neighbors.
President Claudia Sheinbaum visited the flooded areas this week, telling reporters on Monday that there had been no indication of what was coming.
“There were no scientific or meteorological conditions that could have indicated to us that the rainfall would be of this magnitude,” she said, adding that officials had mostly been watching two major storms in the Pacific at the time.
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Her tour of the affected states contrasted with the response taken by her predecessor and mentor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, when Hurricane Otis devastated Mexico’s Pacific Coast in 2023. Mr. López Obrador was widely criticized for hardly appearing before affected residents.
Ms. Sheinbaum “decided to take the bull by the horns,” said René Delgado, a political commentator, in a television interview on Wednesday.
But the visit has also risked making her the face of the problem for the victims, he added. Though the president has so far enjoyed broad public support — a reflection of her attention to social programs and the way she has managed relations with President Trump — analysts said the disaster appeared to be testing her in a new way.
Amid recovery efforts this week, officials have tried to reassure residents that a system has been set up to clear blocked roads, and that they will receive help, by aircraft and helicopters if necessary.
The government’s social media accounts have filled with imagery of Ms. Sheinbaum trudging through mud and embracing residents. On Thursday, the Navy led a group of journalists, including from The New York Times, on a visit to Poza Rica to showcase its efforts.
People in areas still piled high with mud and debris thanked the Navy as it handed out supplies or cleared roads. But some openly complained to the troops about what they called insufficient help.
While the Navy had cleared several neighborhoods, others remained in bad shape. Many residents said the flooding reached the ceiling of their homes, and so much — from mattresses to appliances to cars — was now irreparable.
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“Mud smells and is heavy,” said Lorenzo Bruno Lara, 60, a mechanic who was shoveling his property.
Navy medical officials said the risk of infection from bacteria and waste carried by the mud was a significant concern.
Criticism of the government has persisted, fueled largely by the video of residents confronting Ms. Sheinbaum and attacks from her political opponents.
Some people have placed blame not with Ms. Sheinbaum but with Mr. López Obrador, for dissolving a special disaster relief fund over corruption claims. (No cases of corruption directly linked to the fund have been legally proven.)
Ms. Sheinbaum’s response has also gained some praise, particularly from those who said she was at least taking responsibility, in contrast with other members of her party.
The governor of Veracruz initially downplayed the flooding in her state last week, saying the Cazones River had a “light” overflow.
Ms. Sheinbaum has said her administration will spare no expense, including for reconstruction.
Eduardo Cerecedo, 32, who lives with his family a block from the Cazones, knew Poza Rica was considered at high risk for flooding. But he said he could not afford to move elsewhere and he wished the authorities had done more to help prevent this catastrophe, including by building higher retaining walls.
“We have to start from scratch,” he said, “because we have nothing here.”
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Emiliano Rodríguez Mega contributed reporting from Mexico City.
James Wagner covers Latin America, including sports, and is based in Mexico City. A Nicaraguan American from the Washington area, he is a native Spanish speaker.
Annie Correal reports from the U.S. and Latin America for The Times.
