Marco Ugarte/AP
A road is littered with debris after Hurricane Otis struck Acapulco, Mexico.
CNN –
At least 27 people have died and Acapulco, Mexico, is in ruins after Hurricane Otis hit the coast on Wednesday as a record-breaking Category 5 storm.
Four people were also missing, Mexican Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez said during a news conference Thursday morning.
Officials and military aid finally arrived in Acapulco late Wednesday after their travel was hampered by the same damage they had traveled to help and assess. What they found was devastating.
Images and videos show buildings torn apart, including several high-rise buildings. Storm surges and rain left streets flooded, forcing some to wade through meters of murky water.
Henry Romero/Portal
People stand near street stalls damaged by Hurricane Otis near the entrance to Acapulco in the Mexican state of Guerrero, Mexico, October 25, 2023.
“There is no reputation in all of Acapulco [electric] Poles,” Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said during a news conference on Thursday. The president said more than 1,000 workers were working to rebuild the network so that water supplies could be restored to the region.
More than 500,000 households and businesses have lost power in the Mexican state of Guerrero, energy supplier CFE said. Service has been restored for 40% of those affected, it said.
According to Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado, about 80% of hotels in Acapulco, a popular tourist destination, were affected by Otis. Salgado said her office is “supporting tourists” with “30 to 40 trucks parked in front of hotels to evacuate (visitors) to other areas free of charge.”
Officials and residents had little time to prepare for the severity of the storm because early forecasts significantly underestimated the threat. Otis quickly developed from a tropical storm to an extremely dangerous Category 5 hurricane in just 12 hours – the region’s strongest storm on record.
Alejandro Cegarra/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Residents survey the damage after Hurricane Otis in Xaltianguis, Guerrero State, Mexico.
Marco Ugarte/AP
Debris litters the beach after Hurricane Otis devastated Acapulco, Mexico.
Otis quickly weakened as it moved inland. By Wednesday afternoon it had dissipated over the mountains of southern Mexico. The storm’s heavy rains are expected to continue affecting the region through Thursday, potentially triggering flash floods and mudslides, the National Hurricane Center said.
Although the immediate threat has subsided, the region is just beginning the road to recovery.
Authorities said around 10,000 military personnel were deployed to the Acapulco area to support the effort.
Mexican National Guard personnel have been working to clear stranded vehicles, fallen trees and other debris scattered by the storm, the agency said in a news release.
Henry Romero/Portal
People look at the damage caused by Hurricane Otis in Acapulco, Mexico.
Acapulco International Airport has suspended operations as it recovers from the storm, the office of Mexico’s Minister of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport said in a news release. The agency shared images of large piles of debris thrown around the airport.
Otis’ rapid intensification is a symptom of the human-caused climate crisis, scientists say – a scenario that is becoming increasingly common.
Scientists have defined rapid intensification as an increase in wind speed of at least 35 miles per hour in 24 hours or less, which generally requires significant warming of the ocean.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, more than 90% of global warming over the past 50 years has occurred in the oceans. In addition, El Niño is increasing in the Pacific this year, driving ocean temperatures even higher.
CNN’s Karol Suarez in Mexico City and CNN’s Taylor Ward, Mary Gilbert, Ana Melgar, Claudia Rebaza, Abel Alvarado and Rachel Ramirez contributed to this report.