Hurricane Otis winds blast through Acapulco hospital after storm makes landfall in Mexico
At least 27 people are dead and four people are missing in Acapulco after a “nightmare” Category-5 hurricane, Mexican officials said on Thursday.
Hurricane Otis roared ashore shortly after midnight on Wednesday with 165mph winds and torrential rainfall, slamming into the coastal city where residents had little time to evacuate or prepare.
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.
The hurricane resulted in widespread devastation across the city and rural, mountain villages. Thousands of windows were blown out in apartment buildings and hotels while facades were stripped and ceilings collapsed. Flooding was widespread and residents were forced to pick their way through inches of mud in the streets to look for supplies.
Rescue efforts were slow after a landslide blocked the main highway to Acapulco, damaged airports and left tens of thousands without power or cell phone service.
Images show destruction of city streets, shopping centre in Acapulco following Hurricane Otis
View of debris and damaged vehicles after the passage of hurricane Otis in the beach resort of Acapulco, in the state of Guerrero, Mexico, 26 October 2023
(EPA)
General view of a shopping mall destroyed after hurricane Otis hit Acapulco on October 25, 2023
(Getty Images)
Graig Graziosi27 October 2023 09:00
ICYMI: Mexican President gets stuck in mud as he visits Acapulco
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador travelled to Acapulco on Thursday, where at least 27 people died in a category 5 hurricane.
Mr López Obrador’s car became stuck in the mud as he tried to get over the highway.
He had to get out of the car to walk after debris from a mudslide blocked the way.
“The army is bringing machinery and we’re going to try to reopen [the highway] as soon as possible,” he said.
It came after Acapulco residents expressed their dissatisfaction at the speed of rescue efforts.
Residents have also described looting taking place at local shops after families lost their homes and important documents in the hurricane.
“When is the government ever going to look after the common people?” one resident said.
Powerful winds and heavy rainfall have ravaged the city after Hurricane Otis made landfall in Acapulco just after midnight in the city, causing flooding and landslides.
Tens of thousands were also left without power after the hurricane destroyed all the city’s powerlines.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s vehicle is stuck in mud during a visit to the Kilometro 42 community, near Acapulco, Guerrero State, Mexico, after the passage of Hurricane Otis, on October 25, 2023
(AFP via Getty Images)
Graig Graziosi27 October 2023 08:00
Not a single powerline left standing in Acapulco after Hurricane Otis
Not a single powerline was left standing in the Mexican city of Acapulco after Hurricane Otis ripped through the city, Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador said.
Millions of people in Acapulco were left without power after 165mph winds hammered the city yesterday.
President López Obrador added that small farmers had their corn crops devastated by Otis.
He said restoring power to the city is the top priority.
Graig Graziosi27 October 2023 07:00
Four missing after ‘catastrophic’ Hurricane Otis
At least four people are missing after Hurricane Otis ripped through Acapulco, Mexican officials said on Thursday.
Secretary of State for Security Rosa Icela Rodriguez said at least 27 people have died, while four are missing after 165mph winds ripped through Acapulco yesterday.
Graig Graziosi27 October 2023 06:00
WATCH: At least 27 killed after Hurricane Otis slams into Mexico’s Acapulco
At least 27 killed after Hurricane Otis slams into Mexico’s Acapulco
Graig Graziosi27 October 2023 04:59
Hurricane Otis path tracker: Where will the storm hit next?
Heavy rain from Otis will continue to impact areas of southwest Mexico across Guerrero and Oaxaca states, and may also cause “life-threatening coastal flooding” through Thursday, NHC said.
Graig Graziosi27 October 2023 04:00
Acapulco cut off by Cat-5 Hurricane Otis which caught forecasters by surprise
A “nightmare scenario” struck shortly after midnight in the coastal city of Acapulco on Wednesday.
Graig Graziosi27 October 2023 03:00
WATCH: Hurricane Otis winds blast through Acapulco hospital after storm makes landfall in Mexico
Hurricane Otis winds blast through Acapulco hospital after storm makes landfall in Mexico
Graig Graziosi27 October 2023 02:00
Hurricane Otis may have set record for most people to experience a Category 5 hurricane at one time
Because Hurricane Otis’s eyewall — the most powerful part of the storm — was directly over Acapulco when it made landfall on Wednesday, it may have set a record for the most number of people to experience a Category 5 storm at one time, according to former NOAA hurricane scientist Jeff Masters.
The population of Acapulco is just over a million people.
Graig Graziosi27 October 2023 01:00
New House Speaker’s previous committee once called the Green New Deal the ‘Greedy New Steal’
On the same day Hurricane Otis slammed into Acapulco with 165mph winds, killing 27 and causing widespread damage throughout the Mexican city, House Republicans in the US elected Congressman Mike Johnson to serve as the new Speaker of the House.
The hurricane underwent rapid intensification, transforming from a Category 1 storm to a Category 5 storm in just under 12 hours, catching researchers completely off-guard.
The ongoing climate crisis is driving global water temperatures to record highs, and those temperatures help to fuel the rapid intensification of hurricanes into monsters like Otis.
In 2019, when Mr Johnson was chairing the Republican Study Committee, the group collectively sneered at the Green New Deal, a proposal intended to help take rigorous steps to combat the climate crisis.
The group mocked the proposal, calling it the “Greedy New Steal.”
Graig Graziosi27 October 2023 00:00
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