The storm surge of Hurricane Otis has left a trail of destruction and death in its wake, with at least 45 people losing their lives, including three foreign nationals. The storm brought winds of up to 165mph, causing widespread damage to the city, including landslides, power outages, and buildings destroyed or severely damaged. The national electric company has promised to restore power to the entire city by late Tuesday, but aid has been slow to arrive, leaving residents searching for essentials and trying to come to terms with their losses.
Katy Barrera, 30, lost her entire family in the storm, including her aunt, uncle’s family, and her own mother and brother. She expressed frustration at the slow aid effort, saying, “I want to ask authorities not to lie… there are a lot of people who are arriving dead.” Families are holding funerals for the dead and searching for loved ones, while government workers and volunteers clear streets clogged with debris and mud.
Hurricane Otis Leaves Devastation and Death in Acapulco
The storm’s destruction has cut off the city of nearly one million people, and the federal civil defence agency has tallied 220,000 homes damaged by the hurricane. Some areas were hit particularly hard, with streets strewn with debris and soldiers cutting away fallen trees. As Acapulco begins the long process of recovery, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been accused of downplaying the impact of the storm to avoid political fallout. The governor of Guerrero state has reported 45 deaths, while the national government has reported 48. The exact number of dead remains unclear, with some reports suggesting that it could rise further as the search for missing persons continues.
In the aftermath of the storm, a somber procession of hearses and relatives making their way to the cemetery, passing through the devastated city. Small business owners, including Kristian Vera, who owns a small fishing boat company, have reported that some of the dead were fishermen or yacht captains who chose to stay on their boats to protect them from the storm. As the city struggles to recover, authorities have vowed to have power restored by late Tuesday, but it remains to be seen when aid will arrive in full. In the meantime, the residents of Acapulco continue to search for loved ones, mourn the dead, and rebuild their shattered lives. The storm’s impact will be felt for a long time to come, and the people of Acapulco will need support and resources to recover from this devastating disaster.
