Hundreds of people are seeking those they haven’t heard from in days, as the Mexican government reports 27 deaths.
Miguel Cantu walks through his destroyed home in Acapulco, Mexico, shortly after Hurricane Otis passed over the city. (Source: NBC News)
Hurricane Otis-Biggest Hurricane That Hit Acapulco
Acapulco, Mexico, inhabitants have been struggling with the aftermath of the biggest hurricane, hurricane Otis to hit a large metropolitan region in decades, from trying to hear from loved ones to unburying homes in knee-deep mud to finding food and supplies. On Friday, hundreds were without power or water and stuck in rural places without connectivity. As individuals lack basic resources, many have raided hurricane-ravaged stores for food and goods.
Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 storm, hit Acapulco early Wednesday, killing 27 people and causing widespread damage. In a Friday press conference, Mexican Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said the death toll had not changed since Thursday. Meanwhile, local media claim unrecovered bodies in the city and hundreds of people searching for loved ones lost in the storm. Arturo Villalobos anxiously sought his wife and four under-12 children on Thursday. “I’m in another state, I can’t do anything,” he told Telemundo. “I just want to know how they are.” Villalobos was concerned since the family was in Acapulco when a canal overflowed. He was able to contact his family the night of the hurricane, but it’s been two days since he last did.
Ricardo, a resident, told Noticias Telemundo, “we don’t even have a cellphone or a photo to show,” when searching for a family. “We lost everything.” The storm’s heavy rains and high winds produced flooding and landslides, demolishing hundreds of homes in some of the resort city’s poorest neighborhoods and damaging 80% of its hotels. In a Friday news conference, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador observed, “Even though the death of any person is unfortunate, there weren’t very many. Missing people have also remained constant. Sandoval says four. López Obrador stated, “Still, we have to wait to have all the information about the missing people, those who were confirmed dead,” before releasing their names.
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Hurricane Otis Cuts Telecommunication Signals
After Hurricane Otis cut off communication, cellphone signals are slowly returning. Hurricane Otis survivors are using WhatsApp and Messenger to contact friends and family in Mexico and the U.S. Online chat systems have been used by Acapulco hurricane Otis survivors to exchange photographs of flooded neighborhoods and cellular signal places. Others have asked for lost loved ones and shared shelter survivor identities. Texas resident Paula Romanos heard from her elderly parents in Acapulco Thursday morning. She received a WhatsApp message with scant health information. “They reported injury. Not sure how much. They merely mentioned they were harmed, their flat was wrecked, and they had a bad signal, Romanos told Noticias Telemundo. “My dad has Parkinson’s. So he needs aid. They are alone and have no aid.”
Sandoval said the main federal highway in Acapulco is available for small cars, not trucks. The road was closed for days after a big landslip. Some elements of the Acapulco airport were destroyed, but the runway is still good enough to handle planes that will hasten hurricane survivors’ evacuation into Mexico City and send aid and supplies in and out, Sandoval said. López Obrador said 1,000 government personnel will begin a house-by-house census Friday to assess household needs. The government had collected 10,000 “packages” of refrigerators, stoves, and mattresses to donate to needy families. Medical planes will land at Acapulco’s commercial airport. The city military air base will receive material aid flights. Residents and visitors will be evacuated by hundreds of busses. Acapulco’s grim outlook led some inhabitants to estimate a year of recovery. Antonio Esparza was one of the few residents who believed “this is going to improve Acapulco.”
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