Acapulco was cut off from the rest of the country by Hurricane Otis. Now a new danger threatens because the early warning system for earthquakes has been damaged.
Acapulco – Hurricane Otis hits mainland Mexico and leaves a trail of destruction in its wake. The storm had wind speeds of 270 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 330 km/h. Even before it arrived on the coast of Mexico, the US hurricane center feared “catastrophic damage”.
The storm cut off the popular seaside resort of Acapulco from the rest of the country. Large parts of the city had no electricity. The devastating damage caused by the hurricane can be seen in numerous photos and videos on the Internet.
Category five hurricane crashes into Mexico: Damage from storm “Otis” cannot be conclusively assessed
At a press conference on Wednesday, Mexican President Manel López Obrador said there was “property damage and blocked roads” and that the highway to Acapulco was damaged by landslides. No deaths have been reported yet. However, media are already reporting that at least one person died – a fisherman who wanted to protect his boat.
The cyclone was initially considered an extremely dangerous category five storm. The President therefore called on residents of the region to stay away from streams, rivers and ravines and to seek safety in one of the 500 emergency shelters provided. Vacationers from Acapulco barricaded themselves in their hotel rooms. Once on land, Hurricane Otis developed into a category one storm. This year there have already been several extreme weather events in Mexico that have killed hundreds of people.
New danger in Mexico: Hurricane “Otis” damages earthquake early warning system
The region now faces a second threat, as the storm damaged the early warning system for earthquakes on Mexico’s Pacific coast. More than two-thirds of the seismic activity sensors have been disconnected.
The entire west coast of South, Central and North America lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire – the most geologically active region in the world. In this arc-shaped belt with a length of 40,000 kilometers, several earth’s plates meet. If an earthquake occurs in the region, the population cannot be warned in advance.
There have also been earthquakes in Europe this year, such as recently on the coast of Croatia. (kiba/dpa/afp)
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