Hurricane Debby (1988)

Hurricane Debby was the first hurricane to strike the Mexican state of Veracruz since Hurricane Anna in 1956. The eighth tropical cyclone, fourth named storm, and the first hurricane of the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season, Debby developed from a tropical wave off the west coast of the Yucatan Peninsula on August 31. The system slowly intensified as it tracked west-northwestward toward Mexico, eventually reaching tropical storm status on September 2. Thereafter, Debby began to rapidly strengthen, and the storm was upgraded to a hurricane later that day. After attaining peak winds of 75 mph (120 km/h), Debby made landfall near Tuxpan, Veracruz early on September 3. The hurricane quickly weakened inland, but managed to reach the eastern Pacific on September 5. Debby became Tropical Depression Seventeen-E, which moved northwest but remained poorly organized due to wind shear and dissipated on September 8.

Heavy rainfall caused flooding in the state of Veracruz. Thousands of people were forced from their homes as rivers rose, including upwards of 30,000 fleeing for shelter after the Tuxpan River exceeded its bank. About 8,000 residents of the city of Álamo were rendered homeless. Flooding in Poza Rica forced the rescue of dozens of people from their cars and homes. Several homes in the city were swept away, while debris such as tree branches and trash blocked water runoff. Water, mudslides, and rocks blocked numerous roads in the area. In combination with Hurricane Kristy in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 50,000 people were left homeless in Mexico. At least 20 fatalities were attributed to Debby.