Hurricane Otis leaves dozens dead, wreaks havoc on Acapulco
October 26, 2023
The Mexican resort city of Acapulco was directly impacted by Otis, which transformed from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in the span of 24 hours.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the city had gone through a "disastrous" situation.Image: Marco Ugarte/AP Photo/picture alliance
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Hurricane Otis battered the resort city of Acapulco, as it tore across Mexico's Pacific coast on Wednesday.
Otis made landfall as a "potentially catastrophic" Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 265 kmh (165 mph) when it hit the coast, before dissipating.
Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez told a news conference Thursday that 27 people were dead and four were missing.
More than 500 emergency shelters were opened for residents seeking help in the aftermath of the storm.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador personally joined an official convoy heading for the seaside city by road.
"What Acapulco suffered was really disastrous," Lopez Obrador told a regular government press conference.
"The army is bringing machinery and we're going to try to reopen [the highway] as soon as possible," he told journalists who were also trying to reach Acapulco.
Some 8,400 members of Mexico's army, air force and national guard were deployed in and near Acapulco to assist in cleanup efforts, the country's defense ministry said.
Footage posted on social media showed destroyed cars submerged in floodwaters.Image: Marco Ugarte/AP Photo/picture alliance
Reports of destruction
Otis took out communications in the southern state of Guerrero, making it hard to assess initial damage, authorities said.
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The hurricane is said to have flooded streets and its dangerous winds ripped roofs off homes and hotels.
Footage posted on social media showed buildings ripped open, with destroyed cars submerged in floodwaters.
Tourists were seen using mattresses as protective shields in their hotel rooms.
"The urgent thing is to attend to the affected population. We still don't have the damage assessment because there's no communication," Civil Protection national coordinator Laura Velazquez said.
The city's international airport was closed, after Otis damaged its control tower.
Hurricane Otis left a trail of destruction across the state of GuerreroImage: Marco Ugarte/AP Photo/picture alliance
A rare Category 5 landfall
Hurricanes hit Mexico every year on both its Pacific and Atlantic coasts, but few of them make landfall as a Category 5 storm.
Researchers tracking Otis told the Associated Press that the storm also broke records for how quickly it intensified.
"It's one thing to have a Category 5 hurricane make landfall somewhere when you're expecting it or expecting a strong hurricane, but to have it happen when you're not expecting anything to happen is truly a nightmare," said Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami.
This sentiment was shared by the Mexican president who said: "Rarely, according to records, does a hurricane develop so quickly and with such force."
Scientists have warned that storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer with climate change.
Mexico: Hurricane Otis devastates Acapulco
As the Category 5 Hurricane Otis devastated parts of Mexico's coast, it also hit the tourist resort of Acapulco. It left behind widespread damage and cut the area off from the outside world.
Image: FRANCISCO ROBLES/AFP/Getty Images
Trail of destruction
With wind speeds of up to 270 kilometers per hour, Otis swept across the west coast of Mexico, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake: The hurricane tore roofs off houses, flooded streets and disrupted communication links. The area around the world-famous seaside resort of Acapulco (pictured) was particularly badly affected.
Image: Henry Romero/REUTERS
No way through
Otis weakened to a Category 1 hurricane after landfall. In the meantime, it has dissipated, the Mexican weather service announced. The exact extent of the damage in the state of Guerrero is still unclear: landslides and uprooted trees blocked roads and highways, and power and mobile phone networks were down.
Image: RODRIGO OROPEZA/AFP/Getty Images
Paradise lost
Normally, Acapulco's dream beaches attract countless visitors — now they are covered with debris and many houses have been destroyed. Some 40,000 tourists are said to be stranded.
Image: Marco Ugarte/AP Photo/picture alliance
No all-clear yet
Flooded streets in Acapulco: The hurricane also caused severe flooding in the coastal region. And it's not over yet: "Torrential" rains could follow in Guerrero as an aftermath of the hurricane, and "heavy" rains are expected in the neighboring northern state of Michoacán, the weather service warned.
Image: Marco Ugarte/AP Photo/picture alliance
President in the mud
Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador traveled to the Pacific metropolis, located about 400 kilometers south of Mexico City, on Wednesday to inspect the damage and discuss further relief measures with Governor Evelyn Salgado, the newspaper El Universal reported.
Image: RODRIGO OROPEZA/AFP/Getty Images
Cleanup under difficult conditions
Military trucks transport heavy equipment needed for the cleanup. Nearly 8,400 members of the Mexican Armed Forces are deployed in and around Acapulco to support the work, the Defense Ministry said.
Image: Henry Romero/REUTERS
Cut off from the outside world
The storm cut the region largely off from the outside world. Many people got stuck on roads that got damaged — they need to be repaired before the aid convoys announced by President Obrador can reach the region.
Image: Marco Ugarte/AP Photo/picture alliance
Population without protection
The earthquake early warning system on the Pacific coast was also damaged. According to the operator, communication with at least 27 of the approximately 100 sensors has been interrupted. Should a strong quake occur near the damaged sensors, it would be impossble to warn the population. The damage to traffic routes is delaying repairs to the system.
Image: REUTERS
Looters seize the moment
Residents of the coastal areas had been called upon in advance to seek safety. Around 500 emergency shelters have been set up for this purpose. But not everyone left their homes — and some of those who stayed behind used the chaos after the storm to loot. Like this man pushing a fully loaded shopping cart across a flooded street.
