Hurricane Otis was a compact but very powerful

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

which made a devastating

landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...

in October 2023 near

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...

as a

Category 5 hurricane Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses * Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally *Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) *Categories (Peirce) * ...

. Otis was the first

Pacific hurricane A Pacific hurricane is a mature tropical cyclone that develops within the northeastern and central Pacific Ocean to the east of 180°W, north of the equator. For tropical cyclone warning purposes, the northern Pacific is divided into three regio ...

to make landfall at Category 5 intensity and surpassed

Hurricane Patricia Hurricane Patricia was the strongest tropical cyclone on record worldwide in terms of wind speed and the second-most intense on record worldwide in terms of pressure, behind Typhoon Tip in 1979, with a minimum atmospheric pressure of 872 mbar ( ...

as the strongest landfalling Pacific hurricane on record. The fifteenth tropical storm, tenth hurricane, eighth major hurricane, and second Category 5 hurricane of the 2023 Pacific hurricane season, Otis originated from a disturbance several hundred miles south of the

Gulf of Tehuantepec Gulf of Tehuantepec () is a large body of water on the Pacific coast of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, southeastern Mexico, at . Many (but not all) Pacific hurricanes form in or near this body of water. A strong, gale-force wind called the Tehuan ...

. Initially forecast to stay offshore and to only be a weak tropical storm at peak intensity, Otis instead underwent

explosive intensification In meteorology, rapid intensification is a situation where a tropical cyclone intensifies dramatically in a short period of time. The United States National Hurricane Center defines rapid intensification as an increase in the maximum sustained ...

to reach peak winds of and made landfall at peak intensity. Once inland, the hurricane quickly weakened before dissipating the following day. Making landfall just west of Acapulco, Otis's powerful winds severely damaged many of the buildings in the city. Landslides and flooding resulted from heavy rain. Communication was heavily cut off, initially leaving information about the hurricane's impact largely unknown. In the aftermath, the city had no drinking water and many residents also lost power. The government of

Guerrero Guerrero is one of the 32 states that comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo and its largest city is Acapulcocopied from article, GuerreroAs of 2020, Guerrero the pop ...

mobilized thousands of military members to aid survivors and assist in recovery efforts. Thousands of recovery items were sent out to those affected and donations were sent out to each of the affected families. The hurricane caused at least 52 deaths and left 32 others missing. Total damage from Otis was estimated to be billions of dollars (2023

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

), with several agencies estimating more than 10 billion USD.

Coparmex Coparmex or Confederación Patronal de la República Mexicana is the Mexican Employers' Association. Current president (March 2020): Fernando Treviño Núñez,MXN), which would make it the costliest tropical cyclone (Atlantic or Pacific) on record for Mexico. According to Reuters, Mexican business groups estimate damage at $16 billion.

Meteorological history

On October 15, 2023, the

National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 3 ...

(NHC) noted that an

area of low pressure In meteorology, a low-pressure area, low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclement weather (such as cloudy, windy, with possible ...

was expected to form several hundred miles south of southeastern Mexico over the next seven days. This forecast came to fruition on October 18 with the development of a broad low several hundred miles south of the

. Accompanied by disorganized

convection Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the convec ...

, organization into a tropical cyclone was deemed likely within five days as the system meandered in the same general area. Convection grew in scope the following day, though upper-level

wind shear Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizontal ...

displaced this to the west of the system's center. Throughout October 21, convection increase in coverage and the system's surface circulation became more defined. The disturbance's meandering motion shifted to a northward crawl as it was wedged between a

ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...

to the northeast and a

trough Trough may refer to: In science * Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench * Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure * Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave * Trough level (medicine), the l ...

to the northwest. Following further convective organization, the NHC classified the system as Tropical Depression Eighteen-E at 15:00 UTC (10:00 a.m. CDT) on October 22. At this time, the depression was situated roughly 530 mi (850 km) south-southeast of

, Mexico. Six hours later, the system intensified into a tropical storm, at which time it was assigned the name ''Otis''. Light to moderate southeasterly wind shear displaced convection northwest of Otis's surface circulation during the overnight hours of October 22–23. The lack of vertical alignment delayed potential intensification despite an otherwise favorable environment consisting of high

sea surface temperature Sea surface temperature (SST), or ocean surface temperature, is the ocean temperature close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air mass ...

s and abundant atmospheric moisture. Sea surface temperatures ahead of the system averaged , above average for this time of year. The high temperatures resulted from a combination of a record-warm September for Mexico, an ongoing

El Niño El Niño (; ; ) is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between the International Date L ...

, and the influence of

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

. The system's motion shifted from due north to north-northwest during this time, remaining around . A convective band developed halfway around the storm by the afternoon of October 23 and the surface circulation moved closer to thunderstorm activity. During the overnight of October 23–24, microwave satellite imagery depicted a low-level ring structure, despite the overall sheared appearance of the system. The storm's forward motion also increased during this time, potentially offsetting the negative impacts of southeasterly wind shear. As a result, upper-level

outflow Outflow may refer to: *Capital outflow, the capital leaving a particular economy *Bipolar outflow, in astronomy, two continuous flows of gas from the poles of a star *Outflow (hydrology), the discharge of a lake or other reservoir system * Outflow ...

expanded noticeably and the system's core became centered in the convection. This led to Otis beginning an intensification phase that would continue until landfall. As the morning of October 24 progressed, outflow continued to expand in all directions atop Otis and many banding features circulated the storm. The improvement in outflow was accentuated by a powerful jet streak—a wind maxima within the

jet stream Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow, meandering thermal wind, air currents in the Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheres of some planets, including Earth. On Earth, the main jet streams are located near the altitude of the tropopause and are west ...

—which accelerated the rate of

latent heat Latent heat (also known as latent energy or heat of transformation) is energy released or absorbed, by a body or a thermodynamic system, during a constant-temperature process — usually a first-order phase transition. Latent heat can be understo ...

dispersal and fostered convective development. At 18:00 UTC (1:00 p.m. CDT), the NHC upgraded Otis to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The first and only Air Force Reserve Unit Hurricane Hunter mission reached Otis shortly after and found a dramatically more intense system, much stronger than suggested by the satellite imagery-based

Dvorak technique The Dvorak technique (developed between 1969 and 1984 by Vernon Dvorak) is a widely used system to estimate tropical cyclone intensity (which includes tropical depression, tropical storm, and hurricane/typhoon/intense tropical cyclone intensitie ...

, and the NHC quickly raised their intensity estimate for Otis to a high-end Category 3 hurricane with

maximum sustained wind The maximum sustained wind associated with a tropical cyclone is a common indicator of the intensity of the storm. Within a mature tropical cyclone, it is found within the eyewall at a distance defined as the radius of maximum wind, or RMW. Unl ...

s of 125 mph (205 km/h) by 21:00 UTC (4:00 p.m. CDT). Explosive intensification continued throughout the day into the nighttime hours, in what was described as a "nightmare scenario" by Eric Blake at the NHC. A prominent pinhole eye developed as the night progressed, surrounded by intense convection reaching . Otis reached Category 5 hurricane status by 03:00 UTC on October 25 (10:00 p.m. CDT, October 24) while located just 55 mi (90 km) south-southeast of Acapulco. An hour later it reached its peak intensity with

s of and a minimum central pressure of . Immense

lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electric charge, electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the land, ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous ...

activity occurred throughout the intensification phase, approximately 26,000 strikes in 24 hours, with the greatest activity taking place in the 35 minutes leading up to

. By 05:45 UTC (12:45 a.m. CDT), entered the hurricane's

eyewall The eye is a region of mostly calm weather at the center of tropical cyclones. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area, typically in diameter. It is surrounded by the ''eyewall'', a ring of towering thunderstorms where the most severe weat ...

and the storm's core made landfall just west of Acapulco around 06:25 UTC (1:25 a.m. CDT) at peak intensity. Once onshore, the hurricane rapidly weakened as it interacted with the mountains of the

Sierra Madre del Sur The Sierra Madre del Sur is a mountain range in southern Mexico, extending from southern Michoacán east through Guerrero, to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in eastern Oaxaca. Geography The Sierra Madre del Sur joins with the Eje Volcánico Transv ...

. Within two hours, its eye disappeared from satellite imagery and lightning activity ceased. Utilizing statistical inland decay models, the NHC estimated Otis to have fallen below hurricane status by 18:00 UTC (1:00 p.m. CDT). The storm's surface circulation dissipated shortly thereafter, marking the cessation of Otis's time as a tropical cyclone.

Forecast errors and distinctions

The rapid intensification of Otis was among the most poorly forecast in the modern era. Meteorologists Jeff Masters and Bob Henson at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

called the underestimation "one of the biggest and most consequential forecast-model misses of recent years".

Numerical weather prediction Numerical weather prediction (NWP) uses mathematical models of the atmosphere and oceans to predict the weather based on current weather conditions. Though first attempted in the 1920s, it was not until the advent of computer simulation in th ...

models failed to capture the magnitude of explosive intensification that occurred, in part due to a dearth of data. Several experts, including director of the National Hurricane Center Michael Brennan, noted that there are very few instruments — such as ocean buoys or radar — available for evaluating hurricane strength in the East Pacific, leaving forecasters reliant on satellite data. As described by the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', forecasts of Otis upon its formation on October 22 "didn’t show much to be concerned about". In their first advisory, the NHC forecast a peak intensity of just 45 mph (75 km/h), lower than its actual peak intensity, with the system moving north-northwest and later west away from the Mexican coastline. Forecasters John Cangialosi and Lisa Bucci noted that many models showed the storm outright dissipating within five days. Early on October 23, Blake noted that models were incorrectly diagnosing conditions and showing Otis intertwined with the

Intertropical Convergence Zone The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the thermal e ...

. He adjusted his forecast to show a faster motion which would bring the system onto the Mexican coastline on October 26. Later that day, forecasters Cangialosi and Sandy Delgado noted a substantial disparity in various model solutions, with results differing based on how vertically aligned the storm would become or not become. Conditions for a more potent system became more apparent during the overnight hours of October 23–24. This included high sea surface temperatures, lower wind shear, and abundant moisture. The system also became vertically aligned. The Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction Scheme (SHIPS) rapid intensification index increased to 25 percent, leading forecasters to raise their intensity predictions above most model outputs. At 09:00 UTC (4:00 a.m. CDT) on October 24, less than 24 hours before landfall, the NHC expected Otis to intensify into a Category 1 hurricane as it moved ashore. Sixteen hours prior to landfall, the system was forecast to move ashore at least five hours later than it actually did. The dramatic rate of intensification was not apparent until reconnaissance aircraft sampled the storm during the afternoon of October 24. At 00:00 UTC on October 25 (7:00 p.m. CDT, October 24), just under six and a half hours before the storm made landfall, the NHC upgraded Otis to a Category 4 hurricane and explicitly forecast it to become a Category 5 hurricane before making landfall. The rate of Hurricane Otis's intensification was among the fastest observed in the satellite-era. In a 24-hour period, the hurricane's maximum sustained winds increased by , ranking it as the second-fastest worldwide, only behind

in 2015, which increased by . With winds of , Otis became the first Pacific hurricane on record to make landfall at Category 5 intensity, surpassing Hurricane Patricia accordingly. Overall, it was the fourth-strongest landfalling Mexican hurricane by sustained wind speed, behind the following

Atlantic hurricane An Atlantic hurricane, also known as tropical storm or simply hurricane, is a tropical cyclone that forms in the Atlantic Ocean, primarily between the months of June and November. A hurricane differs from a cyclone or typhoon only on the basis of ...

s, each with sustained winds of :

Janet Janet may refer to: Names * Janet (given name) * Janet (French singer) (1939–2011) Surname * Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table * Jules Janet (1861–1945), French psych ...

in 1955, Anita in 1977, and

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

in 2007. Masters and Henson surmised Otis's landfall saw the most people to have experienced the eyewall of a Category 5 hurricane. They further stated the only hurricane of comparison was

Hurricane Andrew Hurricane Andrew was a very powerful and destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in August 1992. It is the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures damaged ...

in 1992, which struck the

Miami metropolitan area The Miami metropolitan area (also known as Greater Miami, the Tri-County Area, South Florida, or the Gold Coast) is the ninth largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States and the 34th largest metropolitan area in the world with a ...

at Category 5 strength (producing such winds in parts of southern

Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...

Preparations

The Government of Mexico issued a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch for areas east of Tecpan de Galeana to Lagunas de Chacahua at 03:00 UTC October 24. As the storm approached land and intensified further, a hurricane warning was issued for the

coastline between

Punta Maldonado Punta Maldonado (also known as El Faro on account of the nearby lighthouse) is a small coastal community in the Mexican state of Guerrero. Previously located in the municipality of Cuajinicuilapa, it became part of the new municipality of Sa ...

and

Zihuatanejo Zihuatanejo (), or Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, is the fourth-largest city in the Mexican state of Guerrero. It was known by 18th century English mariners as Chequetan or Seguataneo. Politically the city belongs to the municipalities of Mexico, municipali ...

at 09:00 UTC October 24, 21 hours before landfall. In response to the approach of Hurricane Otis, the Guerrero state government opened 396 shelters to accommodate residents displaced by the heavy wind and storm surge damage. Mexico's army and navy sent 8,000 troops to support aid and rescue operations. Authorities in Guerrero closed Acapulco's main port. Schools across Guerrero were to be closed ahead of Otis's anticipated landfall. All flights in and out of

Acapulco International Airport Acapulco International Airport, officially General Juan N. Álvarez International Airport , is the main airport of Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, located from the city. In 2020, the airport handled 395,948 passengers, and in 2021 it handled 670,2 ...

were cancelled. In its advisory upgrading Otis to a Category 5 hurricane, 3 hours and 25 minutes before landfall, the NHC described the situation as a "nightmare scenario" and warned that "This is an extremely serious situation for the Acapulco metropolitan area with the core of the destructive hurricane likely to come near or over that large city early on Wednesday. There are no hurricanes on record even close to this intensity for this part of Mexico".

Impact

Hurricane Otis made landfall in Acapulco as a Category 5 hurricane on October 25, making it by far the strongest hurricane to ever strike this area of Mexico. On October 30, the

National Autonomous University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigges ...

tweeted that data from two weather stations in Acapulco Bay were recovered. One station measured peak sustained winds of with a gust to at 05:40 UTC (12:40 a.m. CDT). A minimum pressure of was also observed at 05:50 UTC (12:50 a.m. CDT). A weather station on offshore western Acapulco recorded a maximum wind gust of as the eyewall moved across the city. Peak sustained winds of were also reported by the station.

Damage

Across Guerrero, 37 transmission lines, 26 electrical substations, a power generation plant, and 10,000 light poles were downed, resulting in more than 500,000 households losing power, although service was quickly restored to 200,000 and was fully restored on November 1. Throughout Acapulco, 51,864 houses were destroyed, while 79,510 others suffered severe damage and 80,823 other homes suffered minor or moderate damage. A total of 3,813 people necessitated air rescue through 62 flights while 20,047 others evacuated via bus. About 80% of all hotels in Acapulco sustained damage, including reports of flooding and collapsed ceilings inside hotels. Several buildings were also heavily damaged or collapsed. Eighteen radio stations in Acapulco were downed, and communication was cut off in the city. The city also lost access to drinking water. A total of 110 medical facilities were out of operation due to the storm, but 80% of such facilities had re-opened by November 7. Five shopping centers necessitated closure, although four re-opened within a week and a half. Additionally, a shopping center in Acapulco was destroyed, and a section of a highway leading into the city was closed after a landslide. Forty-one sections of highways were damaged throughout Guerrero. A large amount of the state's crop yields, which was valued at 25.2 billion pesos in 2022, was destroyed. Offshore, 480 public tourist boats were destroyed. At least 33 vessels sunk in Acapulco Bay. Five boats were rescued offshore Playa Manzanillo while two small vessels were found in the bay of Puerto Marqués. Further inland, ten road accidents occurred in the

Toluca Valley The Toluca Valley is a valley in central Mexico, just west of the Valley of Mexico (Mexico City), the old name was Matlatzinco. The valley runs north–south for about , surrounded by mountains, the most imposing of which is the Nevado de Toluca Vo ...

in the

state of Mexico The State of Mexico ( es, Estado de México; ), officially just Mexico ( es, México), is one of the 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Commonly known as Edomex (from ) to distinguish it from the name of the whole country, it is ...

, resulting in two deaths. Statewide, 478 individuals were injured, 98 of whom required hospitalization. Several airlines were impacted by Otis, with service on

Aeroméxico Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V. () operating as Aeroméxico (; stylized as AM), is the flag carrier airline of Mexico, based in Mexico City. It operates scheduled services to more than 90 destinations in Mexico; North, South and Central Ameri ...

Volaris Volaris, legally ''Concesionaria Vuela Compañía de Aviación S.A.P.I. de C.V.'', is a Mexican low-cost airline based in Santa Fe (Mexico City), Santa Fe, Álvaro Obregón, D.F., Álvaro Obregón, Mexico City l-888-Ʒ9Ʒ-I394 with its hubs in M ...

, and

Viva Aerobus Aeroenlaces Nacionales, S.A. de C.V., trading as Viva Aerobus, is a Mexican low-cost airline fully owned by the largest bus company group in Mexico, IAMSA, and was co-founded by and invested in by Irelandia Aviation. Based in Monterrey Internati ...

affected and suspended at Acapulco and

, which was closed to all flights, was inaccessible. Additionally, the Pie de la Cuesta Air Force Base near Acapulco was damaged, which made it difficult for rescue operations. Otis's passage knocked offline a significant part of the seismic network in Guerrero owned by SkyAlert, an earthquake warning app used widely in Mexico, as well as the SASMEX Network, another network owned by CIRES, responsible of broadcasting alerts through public speakers and radio signals. Twenty-seven sensors were affected throughout Guerrero and parts of neighboring states Michoacán and Oaxaca, as well as two broadcast towers in the cities of Acapulco and

Chilpancingo Chilpancingo de los Bravo (commonly shortened to Chilpancingo; ; Nahuatl: Chilpantsinko) is the capital and second-largest city of the state of Guerrero, Mexico. In 2010 it had a population of 187,251 people. The municipality has an area of in ...

, hindering the ability to notify major cities both close and farther away prone to damage in case an earthquake occurs along the coasts of those three states. By October 28, 19 of the sensors had been restored. Losses were estimated at US$15 billion by the natural disaster risk analysis firm Enki Research, and at more than US$10 billion by global

reinsurance Reinsurance is insurance that an insurance company purchases from another insurance company to insulate itself (at least in part) from the risk of a major claims event. With reinsurance, the company passes on ("cedes") some part of its own insu ...

firm Gallagher Re., meaning Otis possibly exceeds Hurricane Wilma as Mexico's most expensive weather disaster ever recorded at US$7.5 billion.

Fitch Ratings Fitch Ratings Inc. is an American credit rating agency and is one of the " Big Three credit rating agencies", the other two being Moody's and Standard & Poor's. It is one of the three nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSRO) ...

estimated that Otis was responsible for US$16 billion in insured losses. Tourism authorities considered Otis the worst hurricane to hit Acapulco, with its impact more severe than both

Hurricane Pauline Hurricane Pauline was one of the deadliest Pacific hurricanes to make landfall in Mexico. The sixteenth tropical storm, eighth hurricane, and seventh major hurricane of the 1997 Pacific hurricane season, Pauline developed out of a tropical wave f ...

and

Hurricane Manuel Hurricane Manuel () brought widespread flooding across much of Mexico in September 2013, in conjunction with Hurricane Ingrid. The fifteenth named storm and seventh hurricane of the annual hurricane season, Manuel originated from a strong a ...

. Government officials believed that it would cost between 200 and 300 billion pesos (US$11.4 and 17.2 billion) to repair the damage in Acapulco. Officials estimated that as a result of the storm, the Guerrero gross domestic product will decline by 16% by the start of 2024.

Citigroup Citigroup Inc. or Citi (Style (visual arts), stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services corporation headquartered in New York City. The company was formed by the merger of banking ...

estimated that economic activity in the final quarter of 2023 would shrink by 40% due to the hurricane. According to

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was estab ...

, Mexican business groups estimate damage at $16 billion as of November 17, 2023.

Casualties

, the official figures stand at 52 people killed and 32 missing, with three foreigners included in the death toll as well as at least two students attending the

Autonomous University of Guerrero The Autonomous University of Guerrero (''Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero'' or UAGro) is a public and autonomous institution of secondary education and higher education in the Mexican state of Guerrero. Its main campus is in Chilpancingo, with fa ...

(AUG). In the village of , a two-year-old girl was swept away by floodwaters after she left her mother's arms. A total of 59 people were reported missing, including 11 Americans and 7 other foreign nationals. Early media reports of an additional 16 fatalities following a power outage at a

Mexican Social Security Institute The Mexican Institute of Social Security ( es, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, IMSS) is a governmental organization that assists public health, pensions and social security in Mexico operating under the Secretariat of Health. It also forms ...

hospital were denied by the government. Local officials told the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' that they had counted 120 dead or missing, including 20 bodies that washed up onto Acapulco beach or by the docks, 10 bodies that were found floating in the ocean west of Acapulco, two people who were missing from a vessel of three, and three people who died at sea on a four-person boat. Locals have criticized the official death toll as an underestimate, to which President

Andrés Manuel López Obrador Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican politician who has been serving as the 65th president of Mexico since 1 December 2018. He previously served as Head of Government of Mexico ...

responded by accusing his opponents of making the death toll a political issue. At the time of the first death toll estimate of 27, López Obrador said that "even though the death of any person is unfortunate, there weren't very many". On November 12, a report emerged indicating that Acapulco's funeral homes had calculated a total of at least 350 deaths. The following day, municipal authorities dismissed the report as "speculation" and, during a press conference, López Obrador reiterated that the official death toll remained at 48.

Aftermath

According to the

National Institute of Statistics and Geography The National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI by its name in es, Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática) is an autonomous agency of the Mexican Government dedicated to coordinate the National System of Stat ...

(INEGI), the state of Guerrero was the least prepared state for a natural disaster. Although there were 14 civil protection public servants per 100,000 inhabitants, half of those are dedicated to administrative functions, one quarter of those are firefighters, and less than 15% of servants can aid in search and rescue. Nevertheless, the government of Guerrero mobilized 30 to 40 trucks to transport displaced tourists to shelter. With resources totaling approximately US$1.7 billion, the government initially believed it had the economic resources necessary to repair the damage to Guerrero, although the congressional bloc of

Morena Morena is the headquarter city of Morena district, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is governed by a municipality corporation. It is also the administrative headquarters of the Chambal division. It is from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. G ...

offered an additional 10 million pesos in aid on October 26. On November 1, the federal government announced 61.3 billion pesos in investments for reconstruction, including 18 billion for infrastructure recovery and 10 billion worth of tax breaks, 45,000 additional scholarships to Acapulco students, hiring 10,000 young people to aid in cleanup efforts, and free electricity through February 2024. On November 3, the federal government announced that each of the 250,000 affected families in Acapulco and Coyuca de Benítez would receive weekly baskets of foodstuffs over the following three months, totaling between 2 billion and 3 billion pesos. However, the federal government rejected calls from the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...

to use oil surpluses, estimated to total up to 80 billion pesos, to fund additional recovery efforts. Citigroup criticized the federal government package as insufficient. A sit in outside the

National Palace Buildings called National Palace include: *National Palace (Dominican Republic), in Santo Domingo *National Palace (El Salvador), in San Salvador *National Palace (Ethiopia), in Addis Ababa; also known as the Jubilee Palace *National Palace (Guatema ...

was organized to protest the lack of government assistance, in which 50 people participated. Victims petitioned the

Mexican Senate The Senate of the Republic, ( es, Senado de la República) constitutionally Chamber of Senators of the Honorable Congress of the Union ( es, Cámara de Senadores del H. Congreso de la Unión), is the upper house of Mexico's bicameral Congres ...

to demand the establishment of a 300 billion pesos trust. In addition to financial assistance, 47 of Guerrero's 81 municipalities were initially declared a disaster area, but this was later reduced to cover only two municipalities (Acapulco and Coyuca de Benítez). Ten doctors from Michoacán were flown in to Acapulco to assist with recovery efforts. By October 28, the government provided of food supplies and of water to Acapulco. By November 1, the government had delivered 63,000 food packages and of water. By November 4, the government had delivered of water, including to to hospitals, to shelters, and to water treatment plants. By November 5, they delivered 204,092 meals. By November 7, of crgo had been airlifted. A total of of diesel, of gasoline and of jet fuel was distributed by the government. The military distributed 97,805 food supplies, of tortillas, and 145,000 food rations through 13 dining rooms and five community kitchens. The

Mexican Navy The Mexican Navy is one of the two independent armed forces of Mexico. The actual naval forces are called the ''Armada de México''. The ''Secretaría de Marina'' (''SEMAR'') (English: Naval Secretariat) includes both the ''Armada'' itself and ...

alone provided 4,000 groceries, of water, over of supplies, including of personal hygiene and medical items, and packaged 33,243 meals. At the naval hospital, 1,037 medical consultations were given, including 16 surgeries. The military also provided 2,345 medical consultations and made 11 medical evacuations, 10 by air and 1 by land. On November 2, they distributed to five hospitals in Acapulco, which were operating at 10% of capacity. By November 3, normal operations had been reestablished at 37 gas stations, with a total inventory of of fuel. By November 6, normal operations had been resumed at 60 gas stations, or 75% of gas stations in Acapulco. Local authorities estimated that they had cleaned up of garbage along coastal areas of Acapulco. The Tax Administration Service (SAT) delayed all tax deadlines for residents until November 10. The Secretary of National Defense launched a food collection drive in

Nuevo Laredo Nuevo Laredo () is a city in the Municipality of Nuevo Laredo in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The city lies on the banks of the Rio Grande, across from Laredo, United States. The 2010 census population of the city was 373,725. Nuevo Lare ...

. The

Mexican Red Cross The Mexican Red Cross (Spanish: ''Cruz Roja Mexicana'') is a non-governmental humanitarian assistance organization affiliated with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to help those in dangerous situations, such as n ...

delivered of humanitarian aid and mobilized 300 volunteers in Acapulco.

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

offered to match all donations made to the victims of the storm.

Banco Santander Banco Santander, S.A., doing business as Santander Group (, , Spanish: ), is a Spanish multinational financial services company based in Madrid and Santander in Spain. Additionally, Santander maintains a presence in all global financial centres ...

offered to suspend loan payments for all victims for six months. The

(UNAM) delivered of aid. AUG provided 50 buses for victims to travel between Acapulco and

. The United States government provided Mexico with equipment to re-open the roads and said it would honor any requests from the Mexican government for assistance. The Association of Banks of Mexico launched a payment deferral program that an estimated 300,000 individuals were eligible for, totaling 22 billion pesos. Some tolls on Federal Highway 95D were lifted in order to aid in relief efforts. Free bus service was offered from Acapulco to

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

through November 5.

Telmex Telmex is a Mexican telecommunications company headquartered in Mexico City that provides telecommunications products and services in Mexico. Telmex is still the dominant fixed-line phone carrier in Mexico. In addition to traditional fixed-line ...

offered free services for all of Acaupulco for Novedmber and December 2023. Eleven charging stations were opened in which individuals could use for up to 15 minutes. Widespread

looting Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

also occurred throughout the city after the storm, prompting President López Obrador to deploy 14,700 members of the

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

to erect checkpoints and resulting in a 70% increase in food prices. Despite the damage, some hotels sought to resume operations in time for the holiday season. In addition, 35 hotels promised the federal government that they would re-open by the end of March 2024. The

Secretariat of Tourism The Mexican Secretary of Tourism ( es, Secretaría de Turismo, ''SECTUR'') is the government department in charge of the nation's tourism promotion and development. The Secretary is appointed by the President of the Republic and is a member of th ...

also announced that the annual tourism fair set to be held in Acapulco in April 2024 would not be cancelled.

Notes

References

External links

NHC's archive on Hurricane Otis

National Hurricane Center website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Otis 2023 Pacific hurricane season 2023 disasters in Mexico October 2023 events in Mexico Category 5 Pacific hurricanes Hurricanes in Guerrero Acapulco