Hurricanes cause mass destruction to many regions around the world, affecting millions and leaving a mark that can be felt on residents for years. This unfortunately was the case for Acapulco, when it was struck by Hurricane Otis on October 25, 2023 as a category 5 hurricane with strong, gusty winds ranging around 150 mph.
As the hurricane approached Acapulco, damage was being reported along the way, including in hospitals, clinics and torrential flooding was ongoing, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Communication lines were severely damaged and many were left without power, unable to stay informed about incoming aid distributed by nearby states. Number of deaths after the trajectory of Hurricane Otis was at 45 and many were reported missing following this event.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center categorized Hurricane Otis as category 1 but changed their predictions with striking Acapulco as a category 5. Many testimonies were recorded on what the residents witnessed; from cries of help and desperation, some from children, in fear and left scarred seeing their home town in disarray.
The Guardian reported the struggles families have witnessed on their way to recover from the damages made from Hurricane Otis. Some families found no furniture among the debris left behind in their homes and had to wait for resources/aid to arrive the following day after the hurricane made a landfall on October 25.
With the acknowledgement of the damages this hurricane perpetrated on the city of Acapulco, it’s safe to say that Hurricane Otis’s landfall on Acapulco is the result of the ongoing climate change. Climate change has continued to become worse over the past few decades and it’s an issue that needs to be looked further into.
Our world is struggling, whether it may be economically or socially, and unfortunately, this has led to people resorting to protests and in certain cases, committing violence to get their message across their community, eventually finding its way up to the federal government. Even through these issues, we can still find hope to resolve the ongoing climate change and other environmental problems. All it takes is one individual and a group of supporters to transform their country for the better.
To close off the article, let’s take a moment to appreciate the first responders who sacrifice themselves to save lives, trapped under debris in any natural disaster. To those who know someone that experienced the devastating landfall of Hurricane Otis and any other Hurricane around the world, you all are in our thoughts and prayers and you are not alone. Always communicate with someone and know, we can get through any situation if we set aside our differences and unite against all odds, and as the phrase goes, “there is always light at the end of the tunnel.”