Heavy Rains Flood Streets and Homes Across Quintana Roo, Cutting Power and Commerce

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Intense rains that began overnight and continued into Saturday flooded homes and streets, knocked out electricity and disrupted business activity in several parts of Quintana Roo, officials said.

The downpours, accompanied in some areas by strong winds, complicated life for residents, merchants and drivers. Authorities kept up patrols and relief work in the affected zones while urging residents to take precautions as rainy conditions persisted through Saturday. In some spots, the standing water was blamed on drains, storm sewers and absorption wells clogged with garbage.

Playa del Carmen

Heavy rain left streets and avenues flooded in Playa del Carmen and delayed commercial activity.

Fire commander Yivi Méndez said no homes were reported damaged by the rain, only waterlogged avenues.

Merchant Alejandro Hau said the streets flood for two reasons: residents and informal vendors throw their trash into the street, and municipal authorities fail to clear the drainage wells before the rainy season.

Antonio Morales Ocaña, a meteorologist with the state Civil Protection Department, said the rains will continue and advised residents to take extra care and stop dumping trash in the streets so it does not block rainwater from draining through the storm grates.

Tulum

Rain that started in the early hours of Saturday and fell steadily through the morning all but paralyzed commerce in parts of Tulum, where restaurants, food stalls, street vendors and other small businesses reported few or no customers.

The impact was visible early on the city’s main avenues. Foot traffic fell sharply and many establishments sat nearly empty as merchants waited for the weather to improve — an added blow to a sector already facing a low tourism season.

Eustaquio Gómez, who sells tacos de guisado on one of the city’s avenues, said he had made practically no sales in the first hours of his shift. For vendors like him, he said, losing a full morning directly hits their income because they depend on daily sales to recover what they spend on food, supplies and preparation.

The slump also hit restaurants and other businesses that rely mainly on visitors and workers. A morning tour of the area found few people on the streets and empty tables at several establishments, while some street vendors stayed under cover waiting for the rain to ease.

For small merchants, the rain has come at a particularly difficult time given the weak economic activity of the current season. Fewer tourists, combined with the weather, further reduces the chance to earn income, especially for those who work on the streets or depend on foot traffic.

The rain continued intermittently through the morning and was forecast to persist at least until midday, leaving merchants worried about closing the day with losses or minimal sales. Some said that even after the rain stops, it could take hours to recover normal activity.

Bacalar

Intense rain and strong winds overnight and into Saturday morning caused flooding in homes, power outages and material damage in several parts of the municipality of Bacalar.

Residents of low-lying areas said water entered their homes and that in some cases furniture and appliances were a total loss. Among the hardest-hit streets were 11th, 32nd and 44th, the intersection of 14th Street with the Libramiento, and several sections of the Diego Rojas Zapata neighborhood. Fallen trees, neighborhoods without electricity and overflowing septic tanks were also reported in those areas. Residents asked authorities for help in the wake of the storm.

The State Civil Protection Coordination said the conditions stem from a trough combined with instability in the upper levels of the troposphere.

According to reports received, the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz neighborhood was the worst affected, particularly the intersection of 12th Street and 9th Avenue, where water reached between 80 and 90 centimeters and entered some buildings. Civil Protection and Firefighters said the flooding was caused mainly by an overwhelmed and inadequate storm drainage system.

Marcelino Jiménez Contreras, the municipal director of Civil Protection and Firefighters, said the water level in that area was due to the drainage system being blocked by accumulated garbage, and said affected neighborhoods were being attended to promptly.

In the 5 de Mayo neighborhood, the same agencies said water normally flows freely, but excess trash in the streets blocks drains, sewers and absorption wells, causing flooding and hindering the flow of water.

At the Laguna de los Siete Colores, strong winds and waves caused some boats to take on water and sink.

Civil Protection personnel, firefighters, municipal police and public services crews kept up patrols in the affected areas. Their work includes clearing roads, unclogging grates and helping families left stranded. The effort is focused on 12th Street and 9th Avenue in the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz neighborhood, where homes were reported flooded.

So far, authorities have not disclosed how many homes and families were affected or how long it will take to restore power in the neighborhoods still without service. Officials kept the Storm Operation in place as the forecast called for more bad weather for the rest of the day.

Kantunilkín and Holbox

After moderate to heavy rain that began Friday afternoon and continued overnight, the municipal seat of Kantunilkín got a temporary break around 9 a.m. Saturday as residents tried to return to normal.

State Civil Protection, however, warned that cloudy skies would persist and that more rain was possible, with accumulations of up to 3 millimeters between 11 a.m. and noon.

The worst flooding was concentrated at critical spots such as the intersection of Reforma Agraria and Adolfo López Mateos. Despite preventive clearing of deep wells by residents and pothole repairs by the municipal government, the area was completely flooded by the volume of accumulated water.

The municipality also reported road damage on Holbox island, where rainfall reached torrential levels. In low-lying communities prone to flooding, such as San Ángel and Valladolid Nuevo, constant monitoring through local delegates recorded minor seepage and waterlogging.

Civil Protection officials, led by Irving Núñez, are keeping close watch on those areas because of the risk of major flooding and a possible relocation of families, a step that has not been necessary so far.

The agency has not reported major damage such as fallen trees or highways blocked by floods, but urged drivers to proceed with caution.