Mexico: Acapulco on Long Road to Recovery After Hurricane Otis Devastation

The world-famous resorts in Acapulco, Mexico remain ruined weeks after Hurricane Otis slammed into the city and destroyed much of its infrastructure. The road to recovery is seen to take long.

It has been over two weeks since Hurricane Otis surprised meteorologists, going from a Tropical Storm to a Category 5 Hurricane in mere hours and then slamming into an unprepared Acapulco, which was just expecting a mere Tropical Storm.

Now, tourists are gone, and residents are trying to piece their lives together, many losing their homes and livelihoods to the freak storm.

The hurricane blocked roads with debris and landslides and caused trees to fall, although these have been cleared, and cars are seen driving again across Acapulco's main roads. However, it still is not normal, as lines for food, water, and medicines are everywhere.

According to the Associated Press, signs reading "free food" can be seen littered across the city as good Samaritans and volunteers try to feed those who lost everything.

Acapulco has long been a haven for Mexico's wealthy, and they have also started to return. However, many of them find their seaside properties devastated by Hurricane Otis. In the city's bay, which was once filled with the wealthy's yachts, signs of devastation can also be seen.

Meanwhile, soldiers and National Guard troops can be seen everywhere as they try to restore not just the city but also its once-peaceful calm. However, residents remained unhappy as the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared an end to the emergency, even with all the soldiers still running around Acapulco.

Hurricane Otis Confirmed Death Toll in Mexico Raised to 48 Earlier This Week

Search and rescue crews are still combing through all the rubble left by Hurricane Otis's wake, and more dead bodies have been found.

The death toll from the storm has been raised to 48, with 48 people still reported missing, according to EFE.

President Lopez Obrador announced the death toll number during his Monday press conference as 47 with 53 people missing but this was corrected by the Mexican National Coordination of Civil Protection. However, the president also assured that the budget for Acapulco's recovery is sufficient.

"It is enough, there is no limit, it is all that is needed to rebuild economic and tourist activity in Acapulco, serving everyone, with preference to the poorest, most needy people, which is what we are doing," AMLO promised. It came hours before Congress was to vote on the government's budget for 2024, which did not include anything for the recovery efforts in Guerrero State, where Acapulco is.

Acapulco Now Unrecognizable, Residents Say

Acapulco was once considered the premiere beach destination in Mexico, with Hollywood's rich and famous flocking to the city. Now, even residents are saying it is different. As crews are working around the clock to help restore Acapulco, locals can be seen struggling to find essentials.

"I never thought I would live to see Acapulco in such a state," 53-year-old resident Baltazar Quintera told the Los Angeles Times. "Acapulco is unrecognizable."

This sentiment is echoed by other residents who have found the city's glitziest hotels being reduced to mostly windowless hulks as schools remain closed and the city, which relies on tourism, is still reeling as it expects a massive hot in its income because of Hurricane Otis.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: How did Hurricane Otis turn into a Category 5 storm so quickly? - CBS New York