climate
After a hurricane with 27 deaths: clean-up work on Mexico’s coast
Flooded streets in Acapulco, famous for its cliff divers and luxury hotels. photo
© Marco Ugarte/AP
“Otis” cuts a path of destruction through the resort town of Acapulco. Most hotels are damaged, the airport is closed and thousands of tourists are stranded. An airlift should help.
Two days after the devastating hurricane “Otis” on the Mexican Pacific coast Cleanup work started. Thousands of soldiers and other emergency services cleared away fallen trees and debris in the streets of the famous seaside resort of Acapulco and neighboring towns yesterday (local time), the authorities announced. At least 27 people were killed in the violent storm and four others were missing.
In Acapulco, around 80 percent of the hotels were damaged, said the governor of the southern state of Guerrero, Evelyn Salgado. Stranded tourists should be taken out of the city on buses, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said. According to media reports, over 100,000 holidaymakers were stuck there at times. The previously buried and flooded highway between the holiday resort and the capital Mexico City, around 480 kilometers away, was reopened yesterday after clean-up work.
Airlift and looting in supermarkets
“It’s a catastrophe what happened in Acapulco,” said the president after a visit to the port city.
The population should now be supplied with food via an airlift, among other things. According to media reports, there were numerous lootings in supermarkets and other stores.
People were without electricity, fuel and telephones
The storm tore apart the facades of houses and caused window panes to shatter. There were widespread electricity, telephone and internet failures. In Acapulco, many people were only able to get around on foot through flooded streets blocked by debris. The tourist resort’s airport and most gas stations remained closed. The cyclone also caused severe damage in surrounding towns.
“Otis” hit the coast on Wednesday night with sustained wind speeds of almost 270 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 330 kilometers per hour. In just twelve hours it had been upgraded from a tropical storm to an extremely dangerous hurricane. It then lost strength over land and finally dissipated.
Acapulco is known for its cliff divers and luxury hotels. The holiday destination is also very popular with low-budget tourists. The international jet set once stayed there. However, due to rampant violent crime, fewer and fewer tourists have recently come from abroad. Today it is primarily the residents of Mexico City who spend their holidays or long weekends there.