On this border, it is common for torrential rains to cause fatalities due to the formation of water currents in streets, landslides or flash floods.
The newspaper archive indicates that during the last 23 years, at least 30 people have died after being swept away by the strong currents of the natural streams that pass through the streets, in addition to the poor drainage conditions and the lack of prevention in the rainwater collection basins. Most of the fatalities have occurred in the western part of the city, where the Atlas of Natural Hazards for the Municipality of Juárez explains that formations such as slopes, valleys or mountain passes cause rainwater to travel with great force. This year alone, three deaths have been recorded due to events linked to rainy storms in the city. But in addition, the history of deaths is extensive.
2001, ‘The road of death’
For example, in July 2001, a total of 19 people, including an entire family, drowned in an incident that occurred on the night of July 1 when a torrent hit the city, according to the articles published on that date and in the following days. The case that became known internationally as “The road of death” occurred when the truck with economic number 1214 of Route 8-B tried to cross the Gustavo Díaz Ordaz viaduct, however, it was swept away by the current with 30 passengers on board.
2006, in the Sierra de Juárez
In another incident, on July 6, 2006, the torrent that hit the Sierra de Juárez generated violent floods that ran down the streams, causing the death of four people and causing millions of dollars in damage to multiple homes and urban infrastructure. According to newspaper archives, two dams overflowed, 11 more were overwhelmed by the flow and had to be drained, the Indio and Las Víboras streams overflowed their banks and the Rio Bravo ran at full capacity. The excessive rain caused damage to 4,111 homes (1,100 with total losses), 34 schools, 23 other types of buildings, 54 parks, in addition to 127 sinkholes in the drainage and sewage system, reported the authorities.
2007, the pavement was opened
In September 2007, 12-year-old Jazmín García Acosta, accompanied by her mother, got off the bus at the intersection of Ejército Nacional Avenue and Valentín Fuentes to go to Federal Secondary School 6; however, the pavement suddenly opened up and the minor fell into the drain, the file indicates. Two security guards, Andrés Castro Azcárate and Abel Guajardo, got out to try to help her, but the first of them was pulled by the water and died along with the minor in that incident; the bodies were recovered kilometers further ahead. At that time, the Municipal Board of Water and Sanitation and the municipal authorities reported that the collector collapsed due to the rains that had occurred that day and the damage previously caused by the constant rains that occurred in 2006.
2013, child drowned in a dam
In 2013, 10-year-old Bruno Hernández de la Cruz drowned in a dam when he went to play in a reservoir that was three meters deep and whose main access was unprotected. Hernández de la Cruz entered the dam with his older brother, Gael, 11, who was rescued by neighbors. The incident occurred in a water catchment basin located on Custodia de la República and Dunas de Siria streets in the Parajes de Oriente subdivision.
2014, buried by an avalanche
One year later, in July 2014, Norma Avón Quiñónez, 22, was buried along with her two children, Pablo Antonio Valadez, 3 years old, and Yalín Naomi, 5, by a landslide caused by the heavy rains that fell in the west of the city. The landslide occurred in the Guadalajara Derecha neighborhood. The woman’s husband and their 7-year-old daughter survived. Also, that night, Sunday July 11, Cecilia Saldívar, 41, was swept away by the current in the Las Víboras stream and her body was rescued on Monday morning at the Rio Bravo floodgates, reported the Civil Protection Department.
2016, the stream takes it away
In November 2016, a 60-year-old man died at Arroyo de las Víboras and Bernardo Norzagaray Boulevard. The heavy rain caused the closure of major avenues along the border, including the Díaz Ordaz Viaduct, as well as the overpass on Insurgentes Avenue. The municipal Civil Protection Department reported that it had implemented a red alert.
2024, three victims
This year, however, three incidents have been recorded. On July 30, at the intersection of Honduras and Hermanos Escobar streets, a man died after coming into contact with a puddle caused by the rain that day and a high-tension cable that also fell due to the weather conditions. The victim, 40 years old, entered the puddle barefoot because he left his house to “investigate” the blackout that occurred in the area as a result of the rain. Then, on August 22, a man who was repairing the roof of his house was the victim of a lightning bolt that struck very close to him. The incident occurred on Ostra and Jaiba streets in the Anapra neighborhood, when the victim was placing plastic on a tin roof to prevent a leak, neighbors said. Lightning struck very close to him and gave him an electric shock; witnesses said they heard thunder and saw a very bright light. Added to this is the latest incident on Sunday, September 1, with the discovery of the body of a Conalep student identified as Rafael Antonio Rodríguez Ibarra, in a dike after intense search efforts. ‘Rafa’ was swept away by the current of rainwater that fell on Tapioca Street and Paseo De la Victoria on Friday, August 30.
#decades #tragedies
