A month after the devastating passage of Otis, one of the most intense hurricanes to hit Mexican lands, the inhabitants of Acapulco, the flagship city of national tourism, fear for their future in the face of the slow reconstruction of their homes and the local economy, a process that could extend until 2025, according to some business leaders. The federal government announced that assistance will continue for the more than 250,000 victims of the cyclone.
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With mud flooding the streets, without water and in silence, this is how the port of Acapulco will receive the beginning of the December season, one of the most fruitful for local commerce in normal times, but which this year will be marked by the uncertainty of its inhabitants, who still do not see a way out of the devastating consequences of Hurricane Otis.
“Acapulco only lives on three seasons: December, which is the biggest for us, Easter and a little summer. December is the most anticipated and we are not going to get up,” lamented Jesús Zamora, president of Infrastructure of the Advisory Council of Tourism in the region, who insists that the entire city is “destroyed.”
Far from the tourist area, The inhabitants of the high areas of this Mexican Pacific port continue working on the reconstruction of their homeswhich were devastated by the landslides caused by Otis, and in the collection of garbage from the streets.
According to Mexican authorities, the population has already collected more than 200,000 tons of waste after the hurricane.
Furthermore, distrust with the management and figures of the disaster managed by the Government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador continues to haunt the streets, not only in Acapulco, but also in all the surrounding municipalities that were hit by Otis.
One of the main controversies is the number of deaths. The Executive affirms that the hurricane caused 50 deaths, but the inhabitants remain skeptical and some assure that the actual death toll could reach 300. The country’s president has discarded these data, pointing out that the political opposition is spreading them to discredit his Government.
Government efforts continue
During an official tribute for the victims of Hurricane Otis, The Mexican president expressed that “a new stage is coming” for the port of Acapulco, hand in hand with his millionaire plan to rebuild itwhich includes some 3.4 billion dollars, aimed at the reconstruction of houses, distribution of groceries, appliances and financial support for the commercial and business sector.
“We are not going to limit ourselves in the budget. There is enough money, whatever is needed, there is no financial ceiling. Whatever is required to rehabilitate Acapulco and improve the situation of its people,” declared López Obrador during a speech on November 24, with the promise that it will rebuild the Mexican port “in a very short time.”
In addition, the Mexican president stated that a direct economic support plan was already underway for the reconstruction of small businesses and homes in the municipalities of Coyuca de Benítez and Acapulco, two of the entities most affected by the incident.
With just over a million inhabitants, Acapulco is one of the most important tourist centers for Mexicoleaving million-dollar profits year after year for the federal government.
On October 25, Hurricane Otis, Category 5, the maximum, unexpectedly devastated the area’s infrastructure, damaging at least 80% of the hotels and 95% of the local businesses.
In addition to the wave of violence that was already hitting the city before Otis, The inhabitants now face the second month of a long reconstruction, whichIf the necessary support does not arrive, it could last for years and affect the productive sector of one of the poorest states in Mexico.
With Reuters, EFE and local media
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