Latin America & The Caribbean Weekly Situation Update (As of 7 November 2023)
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MEXICO: HURRICANE OTIS
KEY FIGURES
48 PEOPLE MISSING FOLLOWING CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE OTIS
The Government and partners continue to respond to the aftermath of Hurricane Otis, which hit the coastal city of Acapulco on 25 October as a powerful Category 5 storm. As of 5 November, the state government of Guerrero reports 47 people dead (2 more than reported on 31 October) and 48 people still missing. In the municipalities of Acapulco de Juárez and Coyuca de Benítez, 1,488 people are in 12 temporary shelters. UNICEF estimates that 1.07 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, including 323,000 children.
The National Defence Secretary and National Guard have deployed 16,500 personnel to distribute essential relief supplies and help clear debris. With 171.3km of streets now cleared, all affected highways have been rehabilitated, restoring ground access to the port of Acapulco.
Through 6 shelters and 12 community kitchens, Guerrero authorities are providing 66,000 food rations per day. The National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI) are delivering food packages, drinking water and household goods to affected indigenous communities. As of 2 November, INPI delivered 4.5 tonnes of food and water to indigenous collection centres. The United Nations System (UN) in Mexico activated the United Nations Emergency Technical Team (UNETT) to support emergency information analysis and management.
Additionally, the Shelter, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Food Security and Early Recovery sectors have begun coordinating sectoral response approaches focused on offering technical support and advice and resources to relevant Government counterparts.
Private sector actors like the National Epidemiological and Disaster Contingency Support Centre (CENACED), which forms part of the OCHA/UNDP Connecting Business Initiative (CBi), are actively responding. CENACED is providing response the municipalities of Acapulco de Juárez, Chilpancingo de los Bravo, San Marcos, and Coyutla de Benítez, including more than 150 tonnes of humanitarian aid, access to planes and trucks for logistical support and evacuations, deployment of response teams and volunteers and approximately 2,500 hot meals a day through alliances with 15 local restaurants.