"I lost everything": This is how people affected by flooding in Ecatepec live; continue without help

Ecatepec resists! Last Monday, September 6, the municipality of Ecatepec de Morelos, in the State of Mexico, was affected due to heavy rains that caused multiple floods. In the midst of water, mud, rubble and fear, several families from Ecatepec lost their homes and were left homeless – without furniture, food, school supplies, without the little patrimony they had acquired with hard work.In light of this , they accuse indifference on the part of the authorities and assure that the little they have managed to recover has been thanks to the support of the community itself, which little by little has joined efforts to raise everything that the water, garbage and the lack of commitment of rulers took away.

It was the afternoon of Monday, September 6, when the daily scene of Ecatepec suddenly changed. It began to rain, and, as always, people from the community took shelter in their homes or inside their businesses, while others came home on public transportation after work hours.

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The storm did not stop and each time it fell with greater intensity. On San Andrés de la Cañada avenue – one of the most affected areas – water flowed from the top of the hills that surround it. At first the water decreased little by little, but from one moment to the next it accumulated, to such an extent that it decreased with intensity and formed a kind of dark-colored river with not only garbage –as was initially thought – but also with huge stones from the hill, pieces of some trees, cars and part of the patrimony of many families: plates, tables, chairs, armchairs, refrigerators, beds and more.

In social networks the images of this peripheral area were present that Monday, September 6; They reflected the mess that was left.

According to official information issued by the municipal president of Ecatepec, Fernando Vilchis, after the rain 23 neighborhoods were affected by the storm. And until last September 8, around 700 affected homes were reported.

But did help reach all the places affected? According to the testimony of several families from the colonias La Esperanza, Hank González and Los Bordos, the help has not arrived in full. They have only removed part of the rubble, but not in all cases. They have not even helped in assigning a place for the people who were affected or who lost everything, or almost everything, to live.

Colonia La Esperanza

At the top of the neighborhood La Esperanza, by the station 6 of the Mexicable, there were also people affected. Among them is the family of Josefina Blas Santiago, who lives on Emigdio Marmolejo street.

From the outside, her house seems to be fine, unlike her neighbor across the street, who completely lost her home, as the water broke part of the facade and washed away everything in its path .

The water made its way into her house. The current came head on and forcefully covered a great height. His belongings were seized and he even lost tools with which he worked to have a decent life: several sewing machines.

Last Monday night, Josefina Blas Santiago and her family were trapped in the upper part of their house for several hours, since they could not go down to the ground floor as it was completely flooded.

In a video shared with MILENIO , Josefina Blas Santiago showed the moments of tension she lived with her family in the midst of the atypical rain and flooding in Ecatepec . She managed to capture how the water ran furiously towards her house and how she also took part of her neighbor's house, all in the midst of despair, crying and anguish.

Despite this, they say that so far help from the authorities has not arrived and that only the neighbors and part of their family members have shown their willingness to help.

Was the flood caused by the garbage? For the woman from La Esperanza it was not the garbage that caused this catastrophe in Ecatepec one hundred percent, because According to what he said, the authorities over time were reducing the ravine, turning it into "a narrow pipe".

In front of the house of Josefina Blas Santiago another family was also affected, that of Mrs. Rosario Vargas. Her house was left uninhabitable completely. The water broke part of its façade and took all their things, living room, mattress, dining room, clothes, food: everything.

In an interview for MILENIO the woman said that when the force of the water arrived, she was with other family members inside the home, but how they could they managed to get out and get to safety. In the house there were children, an elderly woman, a man and Rosario Vargas.

Have the authorities already provided help? Doña Rosario Vargas assured that most of the help has also come from neighbors, but with her there was an approach by the authorities of Ecatepec , although this has been limited to removing rubble.

Colonia Los Bordos

In the Colonia Los Bordos some people were also affected, especially the people who had their homes near the ravine. Among them, that of Eva Razo Corona –an elderly woman– who had to cross over to the roof of her neighbors to save herself, because the ground floor of her house was He filled it with water, threw out part of his hallway, took away his family business, and ate up part of the floor that led to the entrance—part of the sidewalk—of his house.

As the water went down the ravine, the sound of something dragging became more and more present. Until he got to his house and the water entered from all sides.

The woman's house, like that of her neighbors, was almost on the edge of the ravine, so she wants them to help her put up a retaining wall.

The house of Mrs. Eva Razo Corona could run the same risk as that of her neighbors, who had to leave their home because part of their home was washed away again, after a few weeks before this event, the rain washed away an entire wall.

Have the authorities helped? According to the woman, so far she has not received help from the authorities, only from residents of the La Esperanza and Los Bordos neighborhoods:

Colonia Hank González

Another affected colony in Ecatepec is Hank González. On Boca Barranca street, many families were left homeless. In one house, two families suffered major losses. One of them is that of Jorge Robles Silva , who looked for a way to get his family out after they were trapped inside their home.

That day, the man, as if he had a presentiment of something, decided not to go to work. He preferred to stay at home. The rain fell and suddenly the water in the ravine rose. From his perspective, if he hadn't been there, his family might have died.

The family of Jorge Robles Silva lost everything they owned. He asks that the authorities help him. The man rents the affected house with his brother. However, despite the fact that both are affected, they reported that their landlord has taken part of the help they have been given.

Also speaking for MILENIO was Roberto Robles, Jorge's brother, who still lost everything. As he could, he also saved the family from him.

Edith Muñoz, who also lives on the street Boca Barranca, said that the area was already “clogged”, as there was a tree-trunk-that prevented the water from passing through.

According to his testimony, the water entered his house at first little by little and then suddenly. He also requested that the authorities review the ravine, as its capacity has been reduced over time.

Another of the people affected was Mrs. Araceli García, who lost absolutely all her furniture, her son's school supplies, clothes, absolutely everything.

Like most of these testimonies, the woman confirms that she has not received help from the government, since they are the neighbors of the community who have helped her with clothes and food.

Finally, the woman assured that for ten or eleven years the community had asked that the ravine be maintained, but all they did was put a mesh on it that later the water spewed

On this land, a wall that divided the space from the other house collapsed. He joined the two homes, that of Mrs. Araceli García with that of Araceli Espinosa González, who lives on San Andrés avenue at the corner of Boca Barranca. Her family was also affected, as they lost appliances, furniture and even their children's school supplies: computers and cell phones, because during the flood they were in class online.

When her house began to flood, the woman took her children and her mother-in-law –an elderly woman– up to the roof, as the black water began to take over the lower part of the house. Your domicile.

Like almost all the people affected, he asks for help from the government and municipal authorities, as they have only helped to remove a little mud.

On the issue of garbage, Araceli says that not everything is waste, because for a long time, they have asked the government to put up a containment fence, but they have been ignored. In addition, he highlighted that they had to block the avenue for the authorities to arrive –only to clean–, since apparently they are not a priority:

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