An “extremely dangerous” and “possibly catastrophic” hurricane threatens Acapulco, a tourist hotspot on the Pacific coast in western Mexico, the American National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned on Tuesday, October 24.
Hurricane Otis was rated category 4 – out of 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. “Otis is forecast to be a potentially catastrophic Category 5 hurricane” when it makes landfall in the Acapulco area early Wednesday, the NHC said in its report. The cyclone is currently 135 kilometers at sea south of Acapulco, carried by winds of a maximum of 230 km/h.
In Acapulco, soldiers were deployed in anticipation of Otis’ arrival on the waterfront. Schools were closed on orders from the local government in Guerrero state.
“There are no tours today, the port is closed to tourists,” local tour boat operator Carolina Torres said in an Agence France-Presse video. ” It’s very strange. It [Hurricane Otis] is supposed to be right in front of us, and everything looks very calm. We hope it dissipates a bit. Let us hope so, otherwise it will be very serious for us,” she added.
Three dead after the recent passage of Hurricane Norma
The governor of the state of Guerrero, Evelyn Salgado, insisted on the importance of coordination between local authorities and the armed forces for “the well-being of residents and avoiding risks”.
The city of Acapulco was hit on October 9, 1997 by Hurricane Paulina, which was a category 4 when it made landfall. Paulina killed more than 200 people, one of the most serious natural disasters for Mexico outside of earthquakes.
Last week, Hurricane Norma caused three deaths a little further north. Norma made landfall twice, first in the Baja California peninsula, then in the state of Sinaloa.
Caught between the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico is exposed to hurricanes during the season which runs from May to October-November. A dozen depressions per year are likely to turn into more or less devastating hurricanes depending on their point of entry. The most powerful ever recorded, Patricia, in October 2015, with winds of 325 km/h, however, only caused material damage because it entered the territory through an uninhabited mountainous area.
In September 2013, Hurricane Ingrid, in the Gulf, and Tropical Storm Manuel, in the Pacific, took the country by storm. “Their interaction constituted a historic phenomenon that had not occurred since 1958,” according to the authorities who recorded 157 deaths including victims of landslides.