(Acapulco) The hurricane which threatens Acapulco, a tourist hotspot on the Pacific coast in western Mexico, is “extremely dangerous” and “possibly catastrophic”, the American National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned on Tuesday.
The hurricane Otis was found in category 4 out of the 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. “It is anticipated thatOtis “a potentially catastrophic Category 5 hurricane” when it makes landfall in the Acapulco region, the NHC indicates in its report.
The cyclone is currently 135 km at sea south of Acapulco, carried by winds of a maximum of 230 km/h.
In Acapulco, soldiers were already deployed in anticipation of the arrival ofOtis on the seafront.
Schools were closed by order of the local government in Guerrero state, where Acapulco is located.
“There are no tours today, the port is closed to tourists,” local tour boat operator Carolina Torres said in an AFPTV video.
” It’s very strange. He (the hurricane Otis, Editor’s note) is supposed to be right in front of us, and he looks very calm. So we’re hoping it will dissipate a bit. Let’s hope so, because if it affects us, it will be very serious for us,” she added.
“Avoid risks”
Governor Evelyn Salgado insisted on the importance of coordination between the authorities and the armed forces for “the well-being of residents and avoiding risks”.
Acapulco was hit on October 9, 1997 by the hurricane Paulinawhich made landfall in category 4. Paulina killed more than 200 people, one of the most serious natural disasters for Mexico outside of the earthquake.
Last week, the hurricane Norma left three dead a little further north in the state of Sinaloa. Norma made landfall twice, first in the Baja California peninsula, then in the state of Sinaloa.
Caught between the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico is exposed to hurricanes during the season which runs from May to October-November. A dozen depressions per year are likely to turn into more or less devastating hurricanes depending on their point of entry.
The most powerful ever recorded, Patriciain October 2015, with winds of 325 km/h, however, only caused material damage because it entered the territory through an uninhabited mountainous area.
In September 2013, the hurricane Ingrid in the gulf and tropical storm Manual in the Pacific had simultaneously taken Mexico by storm.
“Their interaction constituted a historic phenomenon that had not occurred since 1958,” according to the authorities who recorded 157 deaths including victims of landslides.