2023-10-25 09:56:15
The powerful Hurricane Otis, category 5, the maximum on the Saffir-Simpson scale, made landfall this Wednesday near the resort of Acapulco, in the Mexican Pacific, reported the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The phenomenon, with sustained winds of 270 km/h and considered potentially catastrophic, reached the coast around 00:25 local time (06:25 GMT) and was moving at a speed of 17 km/h, the NHC report detailed.
According to the NHC forecast, the cyclone “will quickly lose strength” as it moves through the state of Guerrero (southern), characterized by a mountainous geography, and might dissipate on Wednesday night.
Tourists sit on the beach in Acapulco, Mexico, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. Hurricane Otis has strengthened from a tropical storm to a major hurricane in a matter of hours as it approaches Mexico’s southern Pacific coast , where it was forecast to make landfall near the tourist center of Acapulco early Wednesday. (AP Photo/Bernardino Hernández) | Photo: 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
The cyclone gained unexpected strength in a matter of hours, since just at noon on Tuesday it was still a tropical storm, taking authorities and residents of the affected states, especially Guerrero, by surprise.
“We anticipated that it was going to be category one” when it hit land, said the head of Civil Protection of Guerrero, Roberto Arroyo, to Milenio TV, ensuring that the system in the face of natural crises has improved in recent decades.
A tourist rides a horse on a beach in Acapulco, Mexico, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. Hurricane Otis has strengthened from a tropical storm to a major hurricane in a matter of hours as it approaches the southern Pacific coast of Mexico, where it was forecast to make landfall near the tourist center of Acapulco early Wednesday. (AP Photo/Bernardino Hernández) | Photo: 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Area of risk
The port registers a hotel occupancy of 50%, said representatives of that sector, who have suggested that tourists stay in their hotels. The government enabled more than 500 shelters for residents living in risk areas.
On Tuesday followingnoon, the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, urged the population of Guerrero, with communities mired in poverty, to take shelter.
“Agree to move to shelters, stay in safe places: away from rivers, streams, ravines and be alert, without trusting yourself,” López Obrador wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Tourists swim in Acapulco, Mexico, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. Hurricane Otis has strengthened from a tropical storm to a major hurricane in a matter of hours, as it approaches Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, where it is It was forecast to make landfall near the tourist center of Acapulco early Wednesday. (AP Photo/Bernardino Hernández) | Photo: 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This tourist destination is characterized by a rugged relief, with flat areas and at least three hills where numerous homes are located, making them vulnerable to potential landslides.
In areas near the coast of Guerrero, there are also numerous and impoverished communities considered to be at high risk from natural phenomena because they are located in mountains.
On October 9, 1997, Acapulco was hit by Hurricane Paulina, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm, leaving more than 200 dead, making it one of the deadliest in Mexican history.
The local government suspended classes and postponed the presentation of an annual management report to focus on prevention efforts, according to a statement.
The Mexican Meteorological Service maintains a stretch of almost 500 kilometers between Punta Maldonado and Zihuatanejo, in Guerrero, as well as part of the coast of the neighboring state of Oaxaca, in the south of the country, on alert.
The government mobilized the armed forces to implement the DN-III Plan, which helps communities affected by disasters of natural or human origin.
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