Author(s): C. A. Gonzalez
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Keywords: Severe flooding; Storms; Hurricanes; Extreme rainfall; Mitigation
Abstract: On 1s t of July, 2010, Hurricane Alex collided with the Sierra Madre Oriental in north-eastern Mexico, causing heavy rainfall, torrential runoff and severe flooding in the Santa Catarina River Basin, within the City of Monterrey, Mexico. More than four million people were affected in the north-eastern region of Mexico, where road infrastructure, housing, leisure facilities and irregular human settlements located in flooding prone areas were swept away by the current. The hydrometeorological characteristics of the phenomenon are described herein and compared to those of Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. The effects caused by both hurricanes are also paralleled. Current flood risk management policies and urban development guidelines are reviewed and the performance of existing hydrometheorological forecasting tools and flood mitigation infrastructure are assessed. Measures to improve flood risk management policies and forecasting tools to help reduce the catastrophic consequences due to flooding within the region are proposed.
Year: 2011