Hurricane Otis – latest: Fears grow for people still missing in Acapulco after storm killed 27
Four people are missing after the strongest ever storm to make landfall on Mexico’s west coast
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Your support makes all the difference.Fears are growing for the four people missing in Acapulco after a “nightmare” Category-5 hurricane ripped through the city.
At least 27 people are dead and four people are missing after Hurricane Otis brought 165mph winds and torrential rainfall to Acapulco on Wednesday.
Flora Contreras Santos, a housewife who lives on the outskirts of the city, told of her fear after her three-year-old neighbor was swept away from her mother in a mudslide.
“The mountain came down on them. The mud took her from the mother’s arms,” she told the Associated Press. “We need help, the mother is in bad shape and we can’t find the girl.”
Meanwhile, Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado Pineda announced the establishment of a WhatsApp line to help people contact their families after communications went down in Acapulco on Wednesday.
Otis is the strongest ever storm to make landfall on Mexico’s west coast. The hurricane underwent explosive intensification from a Category 1 to Category 5 in just 12 hours, catching forecasters by surprise. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) described it as a “nightmare scenario” for the region.
Turbocharged Otis caught forecasters and Mexico off-guard. Scientists aren't sure why
Acapulco's residents are left in flooded and windblown chaos with hurricane's toll still unknown
Hurricane Otis path tracker: Where will the storm hit next?
Hurricanes are getting stronger. Here’s why
Mexico travel: Is it safe to travel amid Hurricane Otis and what are your rights if you have a trip booked?
Before and after image shows extent of damage to Acapulco after Hurricane Otis
Satellite images provided by Maxar Technollogies show the extent of the damage to Acapulco’s coastline caused by Hurricane Otis.
The bottom image shows the city’s coastline after the “catastrophic” Category 5 hurricane destroyed much of Acapulco.
Other images show damaged boats in Acapulco Bay and the damage caused to the La Poza neighborhood caused by 165mph winds and torrential rain.
Residents fear it could take a year for Acapulco to recover from Hurricane Otis.
Half of electricity service restored to Guerrero
The Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) said on Friday it had restored 50% of the electricity service in Guerrero, “despite the access and communication obstacles encountered by the state-owned company’s staff”.
Hundreds of thousands of residents in Acapulco were left without electricity, cell phone service or running water after 165mph winds destroyed all of the city’s power lines.
Air bridge between Acapulco and Mexico City to be set up to evacuate tourists
An air bridge between Acapulco and Mexico City will be set up on Friday to evacuate tourists, the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport said, after announcing the control tower at Acapulco International Airport was back in operation.
It comes amid an exodus of tourists from Acapulco after a Category 5 hurricane ripped through the city on Wednesday, destroying homes and 80 per cent of the hotels in the region.
Two vessels are also en route to Acapulco carrying two water purification plants, a mobile kitchenette, four power plants, and two motor pumps, the Mexican Secretary of the Navy (Semar) said, after 165mph winds left residents without electricity or water.
Atlantic hurricanes are intensifying faster due to the climate crisis
Hurricane Otis was notable for catching researchers off-guard with its rapid intensification from a Category 1 storm to a Category 5 storm in just under 12 hours.
Unfortunately, the climate crisis may make such events more frequent.
A recent study published in Nature’s journal Scientific Reports found that tropical storms forming in the Atlantic intensified nearly 29% more quickly on average between 2001 and 2020 than similar storms did 30 years earlier.
Hurricanes intensify over warm water — as Hurricane Otis did off the coast of Acapulco just before it made landfall — and the climate crisis is the leading contributor to warming global water temperatures.
The Earth’s oceans have absorbed more than 90 per cent of the heat created by the human burning of fossil fuels, driving global temperatures to record highs.
While the climate crisis may not necessarily cause more hurricanes, it is making them stronger and more unpredictable.
Watch: Infrared satellite shows ‘extremely dangerous’ Hurricane Otis make landfall in Mexico
Why did Hurricane Otis rapidly intensify into a Category 5 overnight?
Hurricane Otis slammed into Mexico early on Wednesday as the strongest-ever storm to make landfall on the country’s west coast.
Otis went from a Category 1 to Category 5 hurricane in only 12 hours — the fastest rate ever recorded in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the eye of Otis made landfall close to the resort town of Acapulco around 12.25am local time with winds of 165mph. Forecasters described it as “a nightmare scenario” for southern Mexico.
Martha McHardy reports:
Why did Hurricane Otis rapidly intensify into a Category 5 overnight?
Otis went from a Category 1 to Category 5 hurricane in only 12 hours
Watch: Hurricane Otis winds blast through Acapulco hospital after storm makes landfall in Mexico
Hurricane Otis: Latest pictures
Watch: Hurricane Otis Leaves Trail Of Destruction In Acapulco
Mexican President says he was warned in advance about Hurricane Otis and denies there will be a curfew
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he was warned in advance about Hurricane Otis.
“Yes, I was notified in advance,” he admitted at a press conference today.
He also denied that authorities are overwhelmed by the situation in Acapulco, and denied that there will be a curfew.
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