Reporting for the disaster-relief NGO All Hands and Heart, as part of their Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) on the impact of the October 2025 floods that severely impacted Mexico.
From October 6–9, severe flooding struck eastern and central Mexico, devastating hundreds of communities. Our team deployed to Hidalgo state, one of the hardest-hit areas, to assess damage and identify the most affected towns deep within the Sierra Otomí-Tepehua mountain range.
Reaching these communities was no small task — landslides had buried roads, cutting off 77 communities, leaving them without water or electricity for weeks. Locals had even set up a zipline to deliver food and water across the blocked roads. Once these reopened, we were able to reach Huehuetla, where the scale of destruction was staggering: the river had swept through the entire town, leaving streets buried in mud and debris, homes gutted, and walls coated in deep layers of sludge.
We initially distributed 300 hygiene kits in the Colonia Nueva neighborhood, to support the community clean their homes safely, protect themselves from infections and prevent illnesses, as the mud is contaminated and can cause severe health risks. Once the streets had been cleared, we worked alongside local volunteers removing mud from homes – pickaxe and shovel in hand, hauling out soaked mattresses and damaged possessions. This was a lengthy and exhausting task, but the resilience of the community kept us going (as did the tamales and café de olla they shared with us!).
The families who had been trapped by the rising river – Margarita, Miguel and their three children, Dominguez, Donato, Don Diego, Joaquín, and so many others – have a long road to recovery ahead of them.
The AHAH team and local volunteers clearing out the mud
