Mexico Sends Help as Texas Tragedy Grows After Deadly Floods
As flash flooding over the July 4 weekend took the lives of at least 109 people in Texas, Mexican emergency personnel have volunteered their services to ongoing response efforts.
In the wake of the tragedy, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum sent firefighters and rescue personnel from the Fire Department and Civil Protection team of Acuña (a city located just below the U.S.-Mexico border) with volunteers from the Mexican nonprofit Fundación 911 to Kerrville, Texas.
The team of just over a dozen people arrived Sunday to join local search and rescue efforts, according to a Facebook post from the Acuña-based emergency response team.
“There’s a bunch of firefighters that have visas and we were like, ‘Let’s just go and help,’” one volunteer, Jesus Gomez, told CBS News. “Sometimes people from the other side cross and help us. It’s time to give a little bit.”
In a statement posted to X on Sunday, U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson thanked the government of Mexico “for their solidarity and support following the floods in Texas.”
On Monday, Johnson also noted the presence of “Mexican K9 teams, trained with U.S. support for law enforcement missions,” which have been mobilized in Texas to help “families find missing loved ones.”
A local CBS affiliate reports: “As recovery operations continue, Fundación 911 will remain in the area for the coming weeks, aiding alongside Texas first responders to clear debris, locate missing individuals, and bring closure to those affected by this sudden and tragic flooding.”
The striking show of international solidarity comes at a tense time for U.S.-Mexico relations, in large part thanks to Trump’s proposed tariffs and immigration agenda. Nonetheless, Gomez said, “There’s no flag or countries in between firefighters. We’re humans and we’re helping humans, that’s what matters.”