Hurricane Otis strengthens, hits southern Mexico

Hurricane Otis grew from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane on Tuesday before it reached the coast of southern Mexico, close to Acapulco, early Wednesday morning. After making landfall, Otis weakened to a Category 2 storm. By dawn, much of Acapulco had been impacted by rain, flooding, and downed trees, and authorities were still assessing damage. Otis is forecast to weaken further as it moves inland through Guerrero state’s mountains before dissipating completely Wednesday night.

How is Mexico handling the hurricane? Otis’ rapid growth in intensity gave residents in Guerrero state little time to prepare. It was the strongest hurricane ever to hit land on the Pacific side of Mexico and the first Eastern Pacific hurricane on record to make landfall as a Category 5 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center. Acapulco Mayor Abelina López last night said on Facebook that the city was on maximum alert. She encouraged residents to stay at home or move to city shelters.

Dig deeper: Listen to Myrna Brown’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about how the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s annual Disaster Relief Fund is running out.