Mexico clears up wreckage of Hurricane Otis, counts cost of damage

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican soldiers and rescue workers on Thursday scrambled to clear up the chaos and devastation wrought by Hurricane Otis in Acapulco as the government worked to bring relief to the battered southern beach resort.

Otis on Wednesday slammed into Acapulco in the state of Guerrero as one of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit Mexico’s Pacific coast, flooding streets, ripping roofs off homes and hotels, and severing communications, road and air access.

The toll remains unclear: downed phone service and electricity lines have made it hard for officials to assess the extent of the damage, with no immediate reports of fatalities as of Wednesday evening.

Nearly 8,400 members of Mexico’s army, air force and national guard were deployed in and near Acapulco to assist in cleanup efforts, the defense ministry said.

Classes were canceled for students across the state for a second day, and Governor Evelyn Salgado said on social media that authorities were working to restore electricity and reactivate drinking water pumps in Acapulco.

“The full extent of the wind, storm surge and rainfall damage in Guerrero will emerge over the coming days,” Moody’s Risk Management Solutions said in a note.

Mexico’s state power utility CFE had over 1,300 employees working to restore power, it said on Wednesday evening, when some 300,000 people remained without electricity.

The main highway connecting Acapulco with Mexico City was expected to be fully open by midday, Deputy Transportation Minister Rogelio Jimenez Pons told reporters, noting the impact of mudslides.

The port city’s international airport was closed, after Otis wrecked the control tower, cut telecommunications, and left access roads blocked.

“Now a Category 5 hurricane in Acapulco takes us by surprise,” Jimenez Pons said. “It’s unprecedented.”

(Reporting by Brendan O’Boyle, Lizbeth Diaz and Kylie Madry; Writing by Brendan O’Boyle; Editing by Miral Fahmy)