Although more than 11 million gallons of water have been pumped from the Las Américas, around 30% of the subdivision continues to be flooded, according to its developer, Sadasi.
Around 70 percent of its streets are already clear and residents cleaning out their water-damaged houses, but sections 1 and 2 of the development remain almost entirely underwater after Tropical Storm Gamma and Hurricane Delta contributed to Merida’s record-setting rainfall.
Even streets that are now dry are now full of garbage, mud and possibly harmful bad odors, according to a local politician quoted in Por Esto! Inside, an uncounted number of homes are beset with mold and ruined furniture. Damage to infrastructure is likely, as well. Ironically, some apparently still lack running water.
Staff from the Yucatán Potable Water and Sewerage Board (Japay) works every day in the area to extract the excess water and transport it to the area of the sanitary landfill.
Japay reported that as of yesterday it had drilled 196 wells to faciltate drainage.
Las Américas is a sprawling suburban-style self-contained planned community popular with young families. Until this year it was a relatively placid set of neighborhoods.
But the area, like others north of the Periférico, apparently has higher water tables and can’t absorb the amount of rainfall 2020 has brought. La Ceiba and Dzitya have also fared far worse than many older areas to its south and both of the new shopping malls have suffered serious flooding and probably infrastructure damage. At The Harbor‘s subterranean parking garage, scuba divers were seen assessing the damage.
Opinion: Future flooding in Yucatan can be prevented, but it takes the will and lots of money
