Mexico will announce aid plan for Acapulco, search for survivors

The Mexican government will present on Wednesday a plan that seeks to raise the tourist city Acapulcowhich was devastated last week by the passage of a powerful hurricane that killed dozens of people and left another missing.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador suggested on Tuesday that part of the funds could come from trusts of the Judicial Branch, for the equivalent of some 830 million dollars, which were canceled last week in the midst of a confrontation between the president and that power.

Hurricane Otis hit Acapulco with winds of 270 kilometers per hour (km/h) on Wednesday, flooding the city, tearing roofs off homes, hotels and other businesses, submerging vehicles, cutting communications and road and air connections.

The cost of damage caused by the hurricane could reach $15 billion, according to estimates. Mexico has sent some 17,000 members of the armed forces to maintain order and help distribute tons of food and supplies in Acapulco.

“That the 15,000 million (pesos) be allocated to support the victims of Acapulco”The president told reporters in reference to the amount of the trusts, during his morning press conference.

The move to eliminate the trusts has been politically controversial and followed a long dispute between the president and judicial authorities, who López Obrador argues are corrupt, hostile to his government and overpaid.

The government would not need to modify Mexico’s 2024 budget to deal with Acapulco’s response, a Mexican official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Mexico has scrambled to send supplies and maintain order in Acapulco, where residents continue searching for loved ones missing since the Category 5 hurricane hit the coast.

Looting quickly ensued as the city’s population of nearly 900,000 became desperate for food and water in the wake of Otis, which hit the iconic tourist center with unexpected ferocity, far exceeding meteorologists’ initial forecasts.

Guerrero, where Acapulco is located, relies heavily on tourism, putting pressure on the local hotel industry to reopen quickly. The state is also one of the poorest in Mexico and has long been plagued by criminal gang violence, complicating recovery.

Mexican civil protection authorities have so far confirmed the death of 48 people in Acapulco and nearby areas. The Guerrero government said on Tuesday that the number of missing had risen to 58 people.

Source: Reuters