Otis’ stunning turn to monster Pacific hurricane kills dozens in Acapulco

Otis’ stunning transformation into a monster hurricane killed at least 27 people as it devastated Acapulco, officials said Thursday.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador went by road after the hurricane hit the iconic city on Mexico’s Pacific coast, where at least four people remained missing. He said Otis had toppled every power-line pole in the zone where it hit on Wednesday, leaving much of the city of 1 million without electricity.

Otis turned from mild to monster in record time, and scientists are struggling to figure out how — and why they didn’t see it coming. With tens of thousands of residents in damaged homes without power, the toll could rise.

“The people sheltered, protected themselves and that’s why fortunately there weren’t more tragedies, loss of human life,” López Obrador said.

Acapulco’s municipal water system was down and López Obrador, who made it into Acapulco late Wednesday with many of his top officials, said that restoring power was a top priority. Some 500,000 homes lost power.

Small farmers had their corn crops devastated by Otis’ wind and pounding rain but the deaths are “what hurts the most,” he said.

López Obrador shared details of one fatality, saying one soldier was killed when a wall of his home collapsed on him. Three Navy personnel were among the missing.

The early images and accounts were of extensive devastation, toppled trees and power lines lying in floodwaters that in some areas extended for miles. The destruction delayed a comprehensive response by the government, which was still assessing the damage along the coast, and made residents desperate.

Many residents were taking basic items from stores to survive in the wake of the storm. Others left with pricier goods.

The beachfront hotels in Acapulco looked like toothless, shattered hulks after the storm blew out hundreds — possibly thousands — of windows.

While around 10,000 troops were deployed to the area, they lacked equipment to move tons of mud and fallen trees from the streets.

MARCO UGARTE/ASSOCIATED PRESS A street is strewn with debris after Hurricane Otis ripped through Acapulco, Mexico, on Wednesday. Otis turned from mild to monster in record time, and scientists are struggling to figure out how — and why they didn’t see it coming.