By Janjabill Tahsin
Staff Writer
The strongest storm ever recorded to hit Mexico’s southern Pacific Coast, Hurricane Otis, killed at least 45 people, with 47 reported missing after the category five hurricane made landfall near Acapulco. The number of those dead or missing from the storm has increased significantly, and officials now say the toll is near 100.
Wind speeds approached 265 kilometers per hour at about 1 a.m local time on Oct. 25 as heavy rainfall and flash flooding continued over portions of southern Mexico, causing massive landslides and knocking out power lines.
Hurricane Otis, which had been a tropical storm as of Tuesday morning, Oct. 24, was expected to undergo gradual strengthening by forecasters in the U.S. National Hurricane Center, predicting maximum wind speeds of about 100 kph. However, the hurricane’s winds rapidly intensified and increased by 180 kph within 24 hours.
For several days now, thousands of residents have experienced shortages of food and drinking water, according to Reuters. On Oct. 26, many stores and supermarkets in Acapulco were looted of food, water and toilet paper because of the slow arrival of aid.
“There were acts of looting in some places because there was an emergency,” said President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, urging locals not to take advantage of the situation.
Mexico has sent around 17,000 members of the army, navy and National Guard stationed in Acapulco and surrounding communities to restore order. Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said on Oct. 28, that the nation’s forces would distribute boxes of food and drinking water, as well as personal hygiene and cleaning products.
The slow arrival of aid is because the Mexican government had to clear landslides and the main access routes to the region. The government also needed to repair the nearby international airport before aid could begin to pour in, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Lopez Obrador promised the Mexican government would help people in the city in the southern state of Guerrero, one of Mexico’s poorest, at a regular press conference.
The U.S. government had delivered road-clearing equipment to help open up roads in Guerrero and said it stood ready to provide any support requested by Mexico.
Evelyn Salgado, Governor of Guerrero, said many of the roads that had been blocked by debris and fallen trees had been cleared, making the delivery of food easier. State Power Utility CFE also reported that electricity has been restored to 334,304 users, or about two-thirds of the 513,524 affected in the city, and two vessels were on the route to Acapulco with two water purification plants, a mobile kitchenette, four power plants and two motor pumps.
After authorities got the control tower at the city’s airport back up and running, an air bridge was being set up on Oct. 27, between Acapulco and Mexico City to evacuate tourists.
The estimated cost of Hurricane Otis could climb as high as $15 billion, but Mexico’s finance ministry said it would activate funds for over $600 million to tackle storm damages on Oct. 26.
About 274,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by the hurricane, according to the Washington Post, and as many as 80% of Guerrero and Acapulco’s hotels were left devastated.
