Landslides, fallen trees, destroyed houses: Within hours, “Otis” developed into a hurricane with the highest warning level. At least 27 people died in Mexico. The seaside resort of Acapulco was particularly devastated.
At least 27 people have died on the west coast of Mexico as a result of Hurricane Otis. Four people are still missing, said Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez. The governor of Guerrero state, Evelyn Salgado, gave the same numbers.
“Otis” hit the coast on Wednesday night – as an extremely dangerous hurricane of the highest level five with sustained wind speeds of almost 270 and gusts of up to 330 kilometers per hour. It lost strength over land and eventually dissipated.
Tens of thousands of residents waited for help in their partly damaged homes. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said there was not a single power pole left in the affected area. The cyclone also devastated the corn harvest of small farmers in the region.
Half a million households without electricity
Obrador traveled to Acapulco with several ministers to assess the situation. Initially there was little information about the extent of the damage because the internet and telephone networks had collapsed. According to the state provider CFE, 500,000 households were temporarily without power.
A fisherman was killed near Acapulco while trying to protect his boat, Foro TV reported. “Otis” caused particularly severe devastation in the seaside resort in the state of Guerrero. Videos posted online showed damaged buildings, broken windows and vacationers holed up in their hotel rooms or seeking shelter from the storm in bathrooms. Trees fell down and streets were flooded.
Acapulco is known for its cliff divers and luxury hotels. The international jet set once stayed there. However, due to the high level of violent crime, fewer tourists have recently come from abroad.
According to the government, more than 8,000 soldiers were relocated
The highway between Acapulco and the capital Mexico City, around 480 kilometers away, was closed after landslides. The tourist resort’s airport ceased operations, and the military part was also still out of operation today. According to media reports, more than 100,000 vacationers were stranded.
“Otis” also damaged the earthquake early warning system on Mexico’s Pacific coast. The operator announced on Wednesday that communication with at least 27 of the approximately 100 sensors in the seismic observation network had been interrupted.
According to a report in the newspaper “Milenio”, many families’ houses and fields were destroyed in the village of Sabanillas. The local government set up emergency shelters, Governor Pineda announced. According to the Ministry of Defense, around 8,400 soldiers have been deployed to the region to help with recovery and clean-up work.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador during a visit near Acapulco. What the city “suffered was truly catastrophic,” said Mexico’s president.
criticism of Disaster management
However, according to a report by the AP news agency, the emergency services did not seem to know how to restore supplies given the infrastructure that had collapsed in mud and water. According to the population, there was criticism of the authorities’ disaster management.
What was unusual was that “Otis” developed from a tropical storm into an extremely dangerous hurricane in just about twelve hours. According to experts, the rapid intensification of hurricanes is due to climate change. Because ocean surface temperatures are rising, hurricanes can not only absorb more water vapor, but also at an ever faster rate.