Almost a month after the arrival of the hurricane, according to the inhabitants, Acapulco is still in emergency
The coasts of Guerrero, especially Acapulco, are experiencing a horror story since Hurricane Otis, category 5 (the highest on the Saffir – Simpson scale), hit land on October 24, causing total devastation in the area, destroying hotels, restaurants, houses, homes and even the airport.
Almost a month since they faced one of the strongest meteorological phenomena that Mexico has faced in recent years, the inhabitants of Acapulco have not yet recovered and now there are more problems generated by the chaos and disaster that it left behind. One of these conflicts is the accumulation of garbage that little by little becomes a health emergency.
Luis Amed Salas, with a degree in Law and a master’s degree in Educational Sciences, is an Otis survivor who, fortunately, did not lose his home or his life, like many others, so he is willing to help the victims with some groceries, pantries and medicines. In an interview with Infobae México, the Acapulcan citizen said that garbage is being a real problem.
“Acapulco smells bad, I don’t know if it’s dead, I don’t know, I don’t know if it’s the drainage that collapsed, people wear face masks to withstand the smell, at the same time we take care of our health, we have a health emergency, it has already become a priority. The vast majority, thousands of families, do not have a home, that already generates debris, now add personal garbage, it already generates pollution, because many are burning garbage. This is not addressed and we will end up with a serious health problem,” he declared.
As if this were not enough, Mr. Amed Salas (who is coordinating work to distribute food and basic necessities) said that in the communities there are rural settlements where the water became puddled and that attracted large populations of mosquitoes, so Now they fear that dengue will spread, especially now that there is a lack of medicines.
“The outlook is unfortunate, there are many communities where there is stagnant water, they have no water outlet and we are already dealing with the mosquito stage, now we are afraid to worry about dengue that could generate an epidemic… there are no medicines either, and There are no open pharmacies and many are getting sick, it is extremely important to guarantee health,” lamented the Acapulco resident.
Another crisis generated by Hurricane Otis is the lack of drinking water, which is scarce in many places. But, according to Amed Salas, who experienced the disaster firsthand, what does Acapulco need? He thanked the support in food supplies and supplies, but assured that “not even 50 thousand food supplies” are enough since more than hundreds of thousands of people were affected, therefore he asked the federal, state and municipal governments for support to reactivate the port, something they have not done, he stressed.
“The federal, state and municipal governments participate with 50 thousand food supplies, they are finished in one day, but the others are grateful for their support, only that it would be up to them to create and develop public policies for projects that begin to generate plans for the hotels resume their activities, tourism arrives, restaurateurs can open and thus generate jobs, prevent international companies from leaving the port and not cause greater chaos with unemployment,” he declared in an interview with Infobae México.
He also said that the authorities must guarantee access to food because many families are not receiving a diet that ensures their nutrition.
Acapulco needs all of Mexico, it is a cry for help, a resident of Guerrero asked, after Hurricane Otis.
According to Amed Salas, also a teacher in Educational Sciences, the recovery process in Acapulco is very slow and the panorama of the port is discouraging because there are disasters everywhere. Therefore, he asked the citizens of the entire country to join the support on the coasts of Guerrero, either physically or with supplies that could help the victims.
Especially because, according to his statements, the government has not issued solutions for them or support for those who are dedicated to the delivery and distribution of food, like him, who needs to use their financial resources to buy the products and deliver them to the victims.
“I use my financial resources to buy things, I spend on gasoline to pick them up and then deliver them, but I do it with a lot of love for my people, for my Acapulco, but I also know that we need them all,” with these words he concluded the interview for Infobae Mexico.
Source: Infobae
