Nightmare In Acapulco After Hurricane Otis
Survivors of Hurricane Otis, which tore through Acapulco last week, killing at least 45, leaving at least 47 still missing, and destroying at least 220,000 homes—are facing a new hell as much of their city lies in ruins and they are receiving little support. The storm’s rapid intensification into a Category 5 meant that the city had little time to prepare, and many officials expect the death count to keep ticking upwards as the government has been slow to respond to the crisis. In the week after the storm, 45 percent of the city is still without power, while Acapulco’s healthcare infrastructure is destroyed, water is running low, and stores have been stripped clean of supplies as people scrounge for food and necessities. The AP reports that officials have prioritized getting power back to tourist centers and clearing debris from around hotels in the city of 1 million, while dozens of poorer residents the AP spoke with have yet to receive any of the aid promised by the government. “The government doesn’t even know we exist,” Estela Sandoval Díaz, whose concrete house with no running drinking water was severely flooded during the storm, told the AP. “They’ve only ever taken care of the resort areas, the pretty places of Acapulco. They’ve always forgotten us.”
(AP, New York Times $, Washington Post $, NBC, NPR, Reuters, CNN)
Hurricane Otis Rainfall Attribution Study: ClimaMeter
To receive climate stories like this in your inbox daily click here to sign up for the Hot News Newsletter from Climate Nexus:
Related Content
