Mexico is taking action for the famous beach resort of Acapulco, which was devastated and cut off from the world after Hurricane Otis passed. Also in the area was President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who got stuck in the mud trying to get there.
More than 24 hours after landfall, there is no assessment yet of damage and possible victims, but early images from the Pacific coast show near-total destruction of numerous residential areas. The army has also been mobilized and is bringing heavy machinery to the area to clear roads, communications and means of transportation. The airport remains closed and the only access roads remain partially destroyed by landslides.
Acapulco, a city of about 780,000 people, is the largest city ever hit by a category 5 hurricane and the most destructive on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which records the danger and strength of winds, as it hit shortly after midnight on Tuesday. 315 kilometers per hour.
Hurricane Otis, which formed on the Pacific coast in a few hours and quickly reached category 5, devastated the city, according to eyewitnesses: bridges collapsed, shops were looted, chaos ensued in the streets. There is no electricity or water in the entire area, leaving many tourists stranded in the area. According to eyewitnesses, some tourists used mattresses and beds as barricades to protect themselves after the windows of their hotels were broken.
In the first images from the region, it is seen that luxury hotels and shopping malls have turned into skeletons. Windows and furniture were destroyed down to their concrete frames.
This is not the first time Acapulco has faced a hurricane: On October 9, 1997, Acapulco was hit by Hurricane Paulina, which killed more than 200 people, making it one of the most serious natural disasters in the country.
Mexico is subject to hurricanes throughout the season from May to October-November, but with the warming of the ocean surface the frequency of extreme events has increased: according to the International Panel of Climate Experts (IPCC), the percentage of particularly intense hurricanes (categories 4 and 5) +1.5 It is expected to increase by 10% compared to the pre-industrial period with °C warming. Again, according to the IPCC, more than one billion people will live at risk in coastal cities by 2050 due to rising sea levels and marine floods.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
