Hurricane Norma, Now Hurricane Otis Causing Chaos in Mexico

Last week Hurricane Norma blew across the Baja Peninsula creating havoc in Cabo San Lucas and areas like the East Cape on the typically calm Sea of Cortez, but now Hurricane Otis has made landfall as a Category 5 Hurricane near Acapulco.

“We got hit pretty hard at Tailhunter International in La Paz, Baja, Mexico,” said Jonathan Roldan (Owner Tailhunter International sport fishing charter/destination resort and restaurant). “We’re digging out here. Norma really did a number on us after almost three days of getting pummeled.

“About 60% of the city is still without water or power, including our Tailhunter Restaurant which got pretty torn up and we lost part of the front of the building,” added Roldan. “We saw lots of damage all over town including hotels, restaurants, homes and all the marinas got wrecked with lots of boats damaged or sunk. It’s going to take a while, but we’ll get it figured out.”

Now in Acapulco (mainland Mexico), Otis, a separate hurricane, just made landfall as a Category 5 storm. What’s crazy and unique about Otis, forecasting experts reported Otis intensified its wind speed by 110 MPH in 24 hours, surpassing the standard definition of the term “intensified” which typically means wind increased by 35 MPH in 24 hours. (Otis image via National Hurricane Center)

Otis now threatens a coastline that is also lined with many fishing villages and beach resorts as they gear up for the winter season. Acapulco itself, is a large port city and a popular tourist spot and home to more than 850,000 people, according to the Mexican Government and the New York Times.

“This is an extremely serious situation for the Acapulco metropolitan area,” said the National Hurricane Center.

FEMA is said to be watching Hurricane Otis closely but doesn’t feel there are any threats to the gulf region. However, damage like roofs ripped off homes and broken windows are being reported in Acapulco and 70 miles northeast in Chilpancingo, only minor damage has been seen so far.

Mexican authorities are expecting as much as 10 inches of rain in the state of Guerrero. The country’s National Meteorological Service said the hurricane quickly downgraded to a category 1 storm as it moved inland.

It’s storms like these that demonstrate how fragile a power grid is. Whether it’s a Hurricane in Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, or Florida, an ice storm in the Northeast, a blizzard in Colorado or a wildfire started by downed powerlines in California, having standby power in the form of an industrial generator is key.