Acapulco Tourists Stranded As Storm Reforms Off Mexico
Twin storms hit Acapulco over the weekend, leaving chaos in their wake. Mexico’s famous beach resort was hit hard, forcing hotels to ration food for thousands of stranded tourists.
The storms were responsible for 57 deaths in Mexico and officials warned that the devastation wasn’t over. Two major storms converged on the country over the weekend from both the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
Tropical Depression Manuel faded after ravaging the country, reports Reuters. However, it strengthened again on Tuesday and moved northwest toward the Baja California peninsula. It was expected to become a tropical storm again this week.
Acapulco was hard-hit by the twin storms. Most of the resort’s upscale district was flooded and tourists weren’t able to take cash from the bank because of a lack of power.
ABC News notes that desperation in Acapulco grew on Wednesday as officials warned more storms were on their way. At least 40,000 tourists were trapped, though two of the countries largest airlines were running two flights an hour from Acapulco’s airport.
Residents took to looting the local Costco warehouse, though state police quickly stepped in to guard the store against them. Hundreds of people were seen wading through waist-high water in the store’s parking lot, trying to find anything the looters dropped.
While residents and tourists waited out the devastation in Acapulco, the government worked to reopen the twin roads between Acapulco and Mexico City. The roads were blocked by collapsed tunnels, mudslides, and massive rocks. Officials predicted that the first provisional roadway won’t be open for days.
About 23,000 homes, mostly on the outskirts of the city, remained without power on Wednesday. Stores were mostly emptied and flooding damaged several thousand homes. There was no word on when the power would be back on.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Manuel was expected to skirt along the coast on Thursday with near-hurricane-force winds. There was no word on more expected damage to Acapulco from the storm’s second pass.
[Image via Wikimedia Commons]
