Destructive Hurricane Otis Strikes Mexico with Dire Warnings
A menacing Category 5 hurricane has made a devastating landfall near the popular Pacific beach haven of Acapulco in Mexico. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued a grim assessment, deeming Hurricane Otis a potentially catastrophic event.
At the time of landfall, Hurricane Otis roared ashore with maximum sustained winds of 265 kilometers per hour, an ominous display of its formidable power. The storm underwent a rapid escalation, ascending to the highest category on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale as it approached the coast.
The NHC did not mince words in its assessment, cautioning, “Catastrophic damage likely where the core of the hurricane moves onshore.” The severity of this threat prompted Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to take to social media, urging people to evacuate to emergency shelters and steer clear of rivers, streams, and ravines.
Prior to the hurricane’s arrival, soldiers were observed patrolling the beaches of Acapulco, where visitors had been enjoying the calm preceding the impending tempest. Carolina Torres, a boat operator, expressed her concern, stating, “We won’t be running any tours today. If it hits us, that’s very serious for us.”
The NHC projected rainfall of up to 51 centimeters across Guerrero and parts of the neighboring Oaxaca state. This heavy precipitation is expected to trigger flash flooding in urban areas and mudslides in elevated terrain. The NHC also issued a grave warning of a potentially catastrophic storm surge, which could result in life-threatening coastal flooding.
While hurricanes are an annual occurrence in Mexico, impacting both its Pacific and Atlantic coasts between May and November, few reach the destructive Category 5 level. Notable examples include Hurricane Pauline in October 1997, which struck as a Category 4 storm and claimed over 200 lives, and Hurricane Patricia in October 2015, the most potent hurricane ever recorded, which miraculously caused no fatalities but inflicted significant material damage.
Recently, Tropical Storm Norma left a tragic toll, claiming three lives, including that of a child, during its second landfall in the northwestern state of Sinaloa. Earlier this month, Hurricane Lidia, a Category 4 storm, claimed two lives and wrought destruction in the western states of Jalisco and Nayarit. In August, Category 4 storm Hilary caused one fatality and inflicted infrastructural damage when it hit Baja California.
Scientists have repeatedly sounded the alarm that storms are intensifying as the world’s climate continues to warm due to the effects of climate change.