Elsewhere in the country, the floods washed crocodiles into the streets of Villahermosa, the capital of Tabasco, and in Oaxaca, the rainfall occurred after an earthquake left thousands homeless.

Widespread medical teams assisted tens of thousands of homes, and due to prevention measures, there were no outbreaks of diseases.

Beginning around September 10, heavy rainfall occurred sporadically in southern Mexico and into Central America,[2] influenced by a broader storm system related to Hurricane Floyd.

[3] Toward the end of September, heavy rainfall occurred in the mountains of northeastern Mexico, which prompted officials to open flood gates.

[4] The rains occurred throughout Mexico for about two weeks before the worst of the precipitation began,[3] and saturated soils before the heaviest rainfall in October.

It failed to intensify due to a surface trough over the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico,[6] connected to a cold front.

While the depression was drifting, it produced large areas of convection over eastern Mexico,[7] aided by high humidity from the gulf and from the Pacific Ocean.

[4] The heaviest of the rainfall occurred along the Sierra Madre Oriental, which is a mountain range in eastern Mexico and the source for several regionally important rivers.

[20] A total of 39 rivers overflowed,[5] which washed away bridges, roads, dams, and some entire houses,[3][21] and there were thousands of landslides, mostly in unpopulated areas.

[17] In Tulancingo, Hidalgo, a nearby river flooded 6,750 houses and buildings, reaching 3 ft (1 m) in some places and affecting about half of the town.

[30] Nine entire communities became isolated due to the floods,[17] and the small village of Patla sustained heavy damage after the Necaxa River changed its course closer to the town.

[17] Portions of Central America also experienced flooding related to the rains, causing landslides and washing away bridges and roads.

About 6,000 people had to evacuate in Sula Valley in the northern portion of the country, after the government released water from the El Cajón Dam.

[35] Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo ordered the Department of National Defense to utilize all resources to assist the people affected by the floods, including federal workers being deployed to disaster areas.

[24] Zedillo noted that despite efforts to mitigate against natural disasters, "we cannot expect to control river water levels produced by rains that have surpassed all historical precedents.

"[24] He personally visited flooded areas of Veracruz,[34] Puebla,[30] Tabasco,[36] and Oaxaca,[22] having canceled a trip to Europe to focus on the disaster.

[37] The president ordered nearly all agencies of government to work together to quickly return conditions back to normal,[34] utilizing 12,000 soldiers.

[38] Additional evacuations occurred after further floods impacted Tabasco weeks after the initial deluge, and by October 25, 94,203 people were staying in 896 shelters.

[39] The Mexican Department of Health declared a sanitary alert in six states,[24] and 354 medical teams operated in 894 communities to assist 50,000 homes.

The Secretaría de Gobernación declared Tabasco, Veracruz, Hidalgo and Puebla as disaster areas, which allocated federal funding for relief.

[3] In Tenango in Puebla, a dam developed a foot-long crack, which sparked evacuations and prompted workers to fill it with dirt and rocks.

[34] In Puebla and Veracruz, 9,551 troops were stationed to assist in relief work, utilizing 48 helicopters, 4 Hercules planes, and 10 boats.

Planes flew generators into Gutiérrez Zamora, Veracruz, mainly for hospitals,[34] and by October 20, 90% of the affected areas had their power restored.

[41] In the capital city, which remained submerged by floodwaters for a week, residents protested the sandbagging efforts after waters were redirected to some neighborhoods.

[29] The Federal Consumer Protection Agency issued warnings to businesses accused of price gouging for water and other basic products.

[46] Despite growing protests and the increasing death toll, President Zedillo did not initially request for international aid, believing that the country had the necessary resources,[29] although by October 15 he changed his position.

[48] The European Commission approved €1 million (1999 euros) in aid to be distributed through the German and Spanish Red Cross agencies.

[26] The Church World Service launched an appeal on October 8 to raise funds,[49] and provided $47,000 worth of blankets and bedding.

[51] Thousands of residents in Mexico donated 500 tons of food, along with water, clothes, and medicine to the Mexican Red Cross.

[44] After additional flooding in Tabasco, the Mexican Red Cross sent 254 metric tonnes of food, water, medicine, and clothing to the state.