Portraits of Disaster and Recovery in Nuevo Leon by Diego Huerta
When Hurricane Alex flooded Diego Huerta’s hometown of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, the Texas-based photographer sprang into action to document the aftermath and recovery efforts. The Category 2 Hurricane Alex pummeled northern Mexico with heavy rain, torrential floods and high wind, destroying infrastructure and taking out phones and electricity.
Huerta tells us:
On July 1, Hurricane Alex flooded my hometown Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. I was glued to my monitor reading Mexican newspapers and watching TV streaming from Monterrey but I didn’t see any media or news from the rest of the world. I now live in Austin, Texas and I didn’t want to stay at my home reading the news about how it was being affected. I wanted to help and let the world know what was going on.
Hurricane Alex devastated my city, it destroyed my hometown, buildings, bridges, factories and especially homes. I documented these photographs on my visit to Monterrey from July 2-July 7th. I shot them so I can post them in my blog and let the world know by the spreading of word how affected my neighbors are and how much we need everyone’s help.
I traveled along the state of Nuevo Leon wanting to bring hope and help by what I do best and what I love the most: photography.
Huerta’s hometown is a major industrial center and is the third most populous city in Mexico, and is the capital of the Nuevo Leon region. The Nuevo Leon region was the hardest hit by the hurricane, and many of its roads and highways were covered in mudslides.
Visit Huerta’s site to see more photos and for information about recovery efforts.
Image Credits: Photographs by Diego Huerta and used with permission
