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There was so much rain in central Mexico that the Miguel Alemán Dam, hundreds of miles upstream of Tlacotalpan, which was built in the 1950s to prevent just this kind of disaster, was in danger of bursting. The decision to release water from the reservoir brought major flooding downstream.

There was at least a meter of water in every building in town. The roads were impassible. People and animals were evacuated by boat and helicopter. It took weeks for the water to recede and months for the cleanup.

Photo courtesy of UNESCO