Acapulco is a resort city in southern Mexico where many tourists go to escape everyday life by relaxing by the beach. However, on Oct. 22, Hurricane Otis formed over the eastern Pacific Ocean and moved northwards into southern Mexico and hit the city of Acapulco.
According to the article by The Conversation “How building codes failed this resort city”, the city was not prepared for what was coming. The surrounding mountains provided minimal protection of the city, but the city itself had bad infrastructure and therefore unprepared for a Category 5 hurricane. It’s not just the infrastructure that was the problem, but citizens had little time to prepare for the strong winds and floods coming from Hurricane Otis.
The damage caused by the hurricane was significant, leaving several resorts damaged with about 48 casualties, which includes three foreigners, and several more missing according to an article from PBS about the death toll. Areas affected the most were low income areas of the city where the majority of citizens live.
According to the same article by The Conversation, the city has building codes where all buildings must be earthquake resistant, but even with these codes in place, the buildings cannot handle the forces of hurricane winds. Therefore most of the buildings crumbled or remained severely damaged, especially the high rise hotels.
After Hurricane Otis, Mexico planned a $3.4 billion dollar to rebuild Acapulco after, which might change the city almost entirely. According to an article by The Guardian “After Hurricane Otis, Acapulco can be rebuilt a better, fairer city,” the city plans to not only rebuild, but to take a once in a lifetime opportunity to correct the historical mistakes that undermine the city.
In the same article, the city will start by de-privatizing beaches and using them to make promenades and parks along the coast as well as adding more retail space. The city will also add more medical tourism and improve basic infrastructure.
With the 3.4 billion dollars, the city of Acapulco can use it to make a speedy recovery and to utilize it in the event of the next hurricane. The city may not have been well-prepared this time, but Acapulco now has a chance to improve and rebuild the city.
