Attachments
Highlights
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Tropical Storm Otis strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane on 25 October and made landfall on Acapulco (Guerrero state). On 30 October, the Government of Mexico declared the state of emergency in Guerrero. After this declaration, the Natural Hazards Emergency Response Programme was activated, identifying Acapulco as the most affected municipality. Six additional municipalities report widespread damages in infrastructure, housing, etc. Basic public services in these municipalities have been disrupted including schools’ closure, child protection services, electricity, internet services etc. Official sources report 46 people dead and 58 missing. At least 1 million people (including over 323,000 children) are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance in seven municipalities.
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Five days into the impact of OTIS, a Census of Damages is being conducted by the Ministry of Social Wellbeing, having covered 32,644 households and small and medium businesses in rural and urban areas (overall 273,844 households are affected). Government humanitarian aid is being provided by the Navy and the Army.
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Although media attention has focused on the metropolitan area of Acapulco, OTIS impacted almost the entire coast of Guerrero. Damage quantification can take weeks. Available data indicates that the damage is widespread and devastating both in public and private infrastructure.
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According to satellite information, 4,685.20 hectares of the coastal area were affected (65%) as well as 865 kms of roads and 2,487.30 hectares of construction. Initial estimates indicate damages of US$15 billion. It is the first category 5 hurricane to impact a city with that number of population (in the world). (Special Report, Integralia Consultores).
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UNICEF is already on the field, working in coordination with local authorities to provide immediate relief and to assess short-, medium- and long-term needs for affected communities.
Situation in Numbers
323,000 estimated children in need of humanitarian assistance
(7 municipalities in Guerrero. Source: 2020 National Census)
1,070,000 estimated people in need
(7 municipalities in Guerrero. Source: 2020 National Census)
120 hospitals with damages in Acapulco
(Source: Govt. report 29.10.2023)
33 schools reported with damages in Guerrero
(Source: Govt. report 29.10.2023)
80% Hotels damaged.
(Source: Govt. report 26.10.2023)
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
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Tropical Storm Otis strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane on 25 October and made landfall on Acapulco (Guerrero state). On 30 October, the Government of Mexico declared the state of emergency in Guerrero.1 After this declaration, the Natural Hazards Emergency Response Programme was activated, identifying Acapulco as the most affected municipality. Six additional municipalities (Atoyac de Alvarez, Benito Juarez, Coyuca de Benitez, San Marcos, Florencio Villarreal, Tecpan de Galena) present damages in infrastructure, housing, etc.
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The Ministry of Education of Guerrero (SEG) has suspended academic activities between 30 October and 3 November in Acapulco and Coyuca de Benitez. Access to updated information on the number of affected schools, the degree of impact on enrollment due to Otis is limited. Guerrero state local education authorities estimate damages to 33 schools, 22 basic education (5,242 students), 6 secondary education (6,942 students) and 5 higher education (11,253 students) facilities. According to official numbers for the 2022-2023 cycle, Guerrero has 10,513 basic education schools with 776,955 students, and 875 upper secondary education schools with 143,246 students.
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Damages to government infrastructure have challenged access to information and the overall relief operations. It is necessary to determine the alert mechanisms available to the population to address situations of serious violence at this time, for example, kidnappings of children, disappearance of children, sexual violence.
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Due to the damages in health facilities, it is not certain which facilities can provide specific services for children and adolescents. Mapping the current status and capacities for service provision in health facilities is critical to prioritize interventions, particularly to ensure availability of sexual violence response services, which require intervention in less than 72 hours.