By The newspaper
25 Oct 2023, 20:06 PM EDT
Hurricane Otis unleashed its fury on the southern Mexican state of Guerrero, causing significant damage to the region’s main highways, particularly between Chilpancingo and Acapulco.
When Hurricane Otis made landfall in the early morning hours as a Category 5 cyclone, one of the most powerful in history, it left a trail of destruction and isolation in its wake.
The aftermath of Hurricane Otis has led to road closures and severe transportation disruptions, and much of Guerrero’s southern coast was cut off from the rest of the state.
The Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) issued an alert, urging citizens to avoid driving on the Mexico-Acapulco highway, Chilpancingo-Acapulco section, specifically at kilometer 360 near the La Venta booth.
The SICT highlighted the “total closure to circulation” in this area, since there is currently no alternative route available.
The SICT also reported that the Papagayo River overflowed at kilometer 71+100 of the Chilpancingo-Acapulco free federal highway, which caused the closure of the entire road. In addition, rocks fell on Route 95 of the Chilpancingo-Acapulco highway at kilometers 56+300, 57+300 and 58+100. These incidents have severely affected the municipalities of Chilpancingo and Tierra Colorada.
In response to the widespread damage, the SICT has deployed a significant team of more than 900 workers, 60 vehicles and more than 200 pieces of heavy machinery. The team includes more than 50 technical engineers, as well as a range of equipment such as tractors, backhoes, motor shapers, front loaders, compactors and dump trucks.
Its mission is to restore vehicular circulation as soon as possible and guarantee the safety of all road users affected by this natural disaster.
Hurricane Otis underwent an astonishing transformation, going from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in less than 24 hours. This rapid progression led the hurricane to make landfall on the coast of Guerrero, where communications were completely cut off. As a result, the extent of the damage remains unquantified, according to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The Federal Electricity Commission reported that more than half a million people were left without electricity due to the hurricane, while mobile communications also suffered serious disruptions.
President López Obrador took action by sending the heads of several key government departments to the affected area, including the Secretariat of National Defense, the Navy, Security and Citizen Protection, Communications and Transportation, and the National Coordination of Civil Protection.
The weather conditions were so adverse that flying was considered impossible, leading President López Obrador to refrain from confirming his attendance to the affected region.
Keep reading:
· Hurricane Otis makes landfall as a category 5 in Mexico; effects could be catastrophic in Acapulco
· Hurricane Otis: Why did it transform from category 1 to 5 in so few hours?
· AMLO reports that the area in Mexico impacted by Hurricane Otis is completely cut off