() – It has been one year since the powerful Category 5 Hurricane Otis hit the coast of Acapulco, in the state of Guerrero, in what was once one of the most important tourist destinations in Mexico and the world.
Time has passed, but not completely the devastation left by that traumatic night that marked the lives of hundreds of thousands of Guerrero residents.
During the early morning hours of October 25, 2023, Otis made landfall with sustained winds of 265 kilometers per hour. The cyclone went from a tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane in just 21 hours, claiming the lives of at least 52 people while another 32 are still missing, according to data provided in December 2023 by the Government of Mexico.
Almost a year later, when signs of recovery were barely visible, John arrived, a tropical cyclone that gained strength in the Mexican Pacific until becoming a category 3 hurricane, hitting the coasts of Guerrero and Oaxaca with sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour.
John lost strength and was downgraded to a tropical storm, but two days later, it regained strength and hit the coasts again as a Category 1 hurricane, leaving at least 20 dead, flooding and more devastation in Guerrero in its wake.
Michel Rosengaus, former coordinator of the Mexican Meteorological Service, told that climate change is likely favoring the conditions that make the intensification of these phenomena more frequent.
“These intensifications may be becoming a more frequent phenomenon. What the evidence shows us is that we may have to adapt to making decisions based on hypotheses that these intensifications could occur,” Rosengaus said.
The divers of the Quebrada, a leap towards resilience after the damage from Otis
Time has not been enough for Guerrero residents to fully recover from the impact of Otis, which devastated much of Acapulco’s infrastructure in a few hours, with damages estimated between US$15 billion and US$16 billion, according to with estimates from business chambers shared with .
These amounts, which are equivalent to between 262,500 and 280,000 million Mexican pesos, include the effects and damage that Otis left in 80% of the economic units in the tourism, commercial and services sector, in homes and electrical, road and telecommunications infrastructure. , according to the Business Coordinating Council (CCE).
“When I enter Diamante… devastating. There was no way to walk. Trees, palm trees, garbage everywhere,” recalled Esmeralda Pacheco, owner of the Casa Yalma Kaan hotel, located in Barra Vieja.
Pacheco stated that it is difficult to explain what was experienced at that moment. What he could explain were the material losses his business suffered and his open criticism of the national government’s aid: “I feel like they were wrong, because they treated us all the same. They gave the people 60,000 pesos and the most they gave us was 100,000 pesos. How is it possible?”
Pacheco pointed out that this amount was insufficient to carry out the repairs at the hotel, and added that with the monthly support that the Government gives to people, it is difficult for him to find people who want to work.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador, president of Mexico at the time of the hurricane’s impact, stated that there was no limit to investment to help the population and businessmen.
The Government said in June of this year that it granted 12,408 “Credits to the Word” to hotels, restaurants, tourist service providers, market establishments, tortilla shops and small and medium-sized businesses.
However, some of the large hotels and restaurants on the coast that suffered millions in losses told in August that they had not received financial support. One of these cases is that of the emblematic President Hotel, whose director, Roberto Vázquez, said that one year after the tragedy they have not been able to reach 50% recovery: “We hoped to have at least 50%. That was the illusion. Have an elevator, because with an elevator I can produce. “You come on vacation and you are not going to climb six floors, that is our reality.”
Some service providers in the entertainment area also told that they had not received support from the Government.
requested comments from the Ministry of Welfare about the statements of these businessmen who claimed not to have received support, and is still waiting for a response. In June, the Government of Mexico said it invested US$1.7 billion to reactivate tourism.
“Sadness, helplessness and anger that such a wonderful destination, which is the cradle of hospitality at a national level, has been abandoned and thrown away. That is the only truth,” Vázquez lamented.
“For many it may be a waste, but it can be repaired,” said Alberto Lara, a lawyer by profession who decided, decades ago, to dedicate himself to boat repair in Acapulco to continue his father’s legacy.
Lara lost several of his boats during Otis and is now in charge of repairing the yachts and boats that the hurricane left in Plaza Manzanilla, which was previously a shipyard. The city council gave him permission to repair all the boats on that beach for a period of up to six months: “For many it is their only asset, their only source of income and, unfortunately, fiberglass materials are very expensive.”
Lara said he never thought Otis would be a Category 5 hurricane and when they received the warning, many boat owners went to their boats. “I had two yachts and it is customary for the captains of the boats in times of heavy rain or hurricanes to get on the boats, because the wind starts to come in, and they turn on the engines because they help the boat to stay up.”
Dozens of boats are waiting to be repaired by Lara, who fears that six months will not be enough to complete the work: “The sooner they start working, the boat owners can continue to have income.”
Calm returned after the tragedy to Agustina and Rosa’s home, located in one of the intricate neighborhoods that cover the hills that surround the famous port.
“The government gave us this, we didn’t have to pay anything,” Rosa told , showing her house now equipped with a stove, blender, mattress, fan, reinforced roof and bathroom. He says that he received a lot of support and that his house is more equipped and reinforced for future natural disasters. contacted her after Hurricane John, and she said that both her family and her home were fine.
However, the trauma that Otis left in this family is unlikely to go away anytime soon. “Now that it starts to rain, air flows and that’s it. I’m scared because who knows what’s going to happen. Now it hasn’t rained as much but it still scares me,” Rosa said.
First Otis, then John: Acapulco suffers again and residents ask the authorities for help
A year after Otis, tourism has still not returned, leading to serious consequences for the economy and the population.
“You never lose fear, you learn to work with it in different ways,” said Alejandro Balanzar, a diver from La Quebrada for 14 years who says he has gone through many challenges, but none like Otis: “Unfortunately Otis arrived with all the force. First there was all the stress. All the anxiety that was experienced. We received a lot of support from the people who were making donations, also support from the government systems.”
La Quebrada diving is one of the most iconic attractions in Acapulco. Its birth goes hand in hand with tourist activity, which was diminished after the passage of Otis. Without tourists there is no show. Something serious for many families who make a living from these dives, which since 2022 are considered cultural heritage of the state of Guerrero.
“Maybe we won’t lose the show, but we need an audience, we are 100% touristy. We need tourism,” Balanzar said.
The task, according to activists and experts consulted, belongs to everyone. “Acapulco has hope, yes, Acapulco can and will recover from this issue. But, in effect, we need the quiescence of almost all the actors,” activist David Aguilar told .
Rosa, affected by the hurricane, says that she still survives with the help that the Government gave her. He said that he used to braid braids for tourists on the coast, and that on a good day’s work he generated up to the equivalent of US$100.
“At Easter I made US$10 or, sometimes, nothing. Tourism… more than anything, let them come, don’t stop coming, here we all live off of tourism,” Ana asked.
Esmeralda Pacheco says that Acapulco needs more offerings to attract tourism, something complicated by what, according to her, is a lack of support for businessmen: “People love Acapulco and keep coming, but there will come a time when they will no longer They are not going to come, because there is no offer. “The island is dead.”
However, Pacheco decided to continue betting on Acapulco: “Acapulco has something that makes people come back. In other words, people come back and ask you how you are, and we have put a lot of effort into social media so that they can see that we are indeed standing.”
Acapulco was the most important resort in Mexico for much of the 20th century. A must-see destination for Hollywood stars, as well as exclusive nightclubs, investments; the mansions of celebrities and, of course, the Mexicans.
“Acapulco has given the entire country and a good part of the world spectacular experiences,” said activist David Aguilar. “So, also part of a little bit of the work that we all have, it is time to return to Acapulco and say ‘Acapulco I love you’.”
Mario González, Gabriela Frías, Adrián Ledezma, Aaron García and Daniela Patiño contributed to this publication
This report was carried out as part of a special by Español and Warner Bros. Discovery
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