Thirty-nine individuals are dead in Mexico and several are missing after Hurricane Otis hit Mexico’s shoreline early Wednesday morning.
The Category 5 hurricane is on record for being the strongest hurricane to hit Mexico’s Pacific Coast. The storm brewed up winds as high as 165 miles per hour and dropped nearly 10 inches of rain.
However, officials didn’t predict Otis to be as powerful as it was. Just Tuesday morning it had been a tropical storm, but heavily intensified over 24 hours. This rapid progression made officials warn of the “catastrophic damage” it may bring.
Across the country, Hurricane Otis caused mass destruction. An estimated 500,000 homes and businesses lost power and a government report states nearly 80% of hotels in Acapulco, Mexico were impacted by the storm.
“In all of Acapulco, there is not a standing [electric] pole,” Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador stated at a press conference on Thursday.
Many people have recounted their terrifying stories as Otis touched down in Mexico on Wednesday. Citlali Portillo, a tourist accommodation manager, said the building she was staying in “shook as if there was an earthquake.”
Erik Lozoya, a professional magician, was staying in an Acapulco hotel with his wife and two baby daughters when the hurricane touched down. “It literally felt as though our ears were going to explode,” Lozoya stated.
President Joe Biden spoke out Friday, stating the United States pledges “full support” to Mexico’s government and United States citizens in the area who have been affected.
In efforts to start recovery, nearly 10,000 members of Mexico’s army, air force, and national guard have been deployed to assist in cleanup and recuse efforts. So far, Mexico’s military has received nearly 8,000 boxes of food and close to 11,000 liters of water, which military planes have begun to distribute across the region’s affected areas.
