Acapulco DIsaster –
What Happened?
Acapulco was destroyed by 375 km an hour winds on Wednesday October 25, 2023 around 1 am. The storm was weak in the evening and strengthened after they went to bed becoming a Category 5 with fastest winds ever recorded. The wind speeds were recorded at speeds up to 375 km an hour, official stories differ.
UPDATE Nov 2 2023
Working on the Acapulco Recovery Team has been a never ending task. I have been on the computer morning until night arranging interviews, informing people who for the most part have had not clue as the news have been silent on this disaster.
Tonight I was joined by one of my co-rescuers, Vadim on the End Evil podcast with Chris Jantzen where we dove deep into the possible motivations and the strangeness of the event. You can watch this podcast here.
I did get to talk to my husband tonight, only 20 min but so much information. We are exploring different options to get more money to him as he decided to continue working on ground zero.
Below is a quote where I repeated as closely as I could what he said in our call tonight.
Here are some interesting mainstream news articles about this lately.
Future of Hurricanes?
Stunning Satelite Before and After Images
Why is the world ignoring Acapulco?
Damages could be 15 Billion
Nov 2, 2023, my partner Erwin said:
It’s like a bomb went off and destroyed the whole city. All the way from Bonfil to Coyuca everything is destroyed. Only Acapulco from north to south was damaged and then it went into the mountains, not up the coast. There are people wandering in the streets with nowhere to go, there are babies that need help. We are doing what we can. We have the Jeep and we leave every day to get more supplies and go back trying to cover as many areas as possible. I can’t come back yet. Tell your parents I am sorry I won’t see them off at the airport. I can’t leave these people.
THE NEWEST NEWS!
We are talking to a manager of costco in Cuernavaca, he has offered to send a truck with literally TONS of supplies directly to Acapulco. That would save many 4 hour trips for our drivers and allow them to concentrate on deliveries throughout town.
The thing is to predict correctly what we will be needing most in the next week. With some grocery stores ready to set up some popup locations and others (like walmart) promising to reopen within two weeks there is hope for relief.
That is when we will switch from Rescuing to Rebuilding as nearly all the windows in the whole city and many roofs have been completely destroyed and in many cases completely blown away.
We are preparing a drone for tomorrow to be used to check some of the poorest areas we have not visited yet to check on the status of those people.
The ocean in many places has become dangerously rocky, access to clean water is paramount as babies cleaned with dirty water are developing infections. The need for medicine is urgent especially for diabetes medication as people have limited or irregular access to food.
Our trucks and fully going every day getting as much to the people as we can. No matter what, it’s just a drop in the bucket. We are only serving a few neighbourhoods but so many more need help.
Imagine a tropical country in the heat and you need to walk for hours just to find some water to bathe your baby. Nothing is set up for this type of living. These people are completely dependent on the infrastructure and are not located anywhere near a water source.
This is a city of almost a million people who haven’t had a shower in a week in tropical weather. They have had no air conditioning, no pharmacy, no laundry, no coffee shops, no soft drinks, and very little support.
Over and over we are hearing that we are the only ones helping. That we saved someone’s life. We are doing our best with only 10 trucks and a couple motorcycles.
UPDATE OCT 31 2023
My Stepdaughter has been found! She is OK.
Thank you Jeff Berwick and his Acapulco Recovery Team who after getting crossed wires persevered over the weekend and found her and her extended family! They were able to provide aid until my partner arrived on site on October 31.
Why are the news channels silent about this tragedy?
I am hearing from many people that there is nothing in the news about this tragedy that has left just about a MILLION people displaced, in ruined houses, without power, communication or water. My partners 8 year old daughter survived… we know from one tiny text message and we have heard nothing since… It’s time to take drastic action.
As Acapulco slowly stands up after this completely devastating event there is a pungent smell of sewage and decay permeating everything. The concerns of cholera and diphtheria are valid. This is a crucial time to deliver aid to these people.
This was a shockingly extreme and fast-forming hurricane. The destruction is extensive, and many people have been left homeless with all of their possessions blown away by the winds. The situation is dire, and the people of Acapulco are in urgent need of assistance.
What are we doing about it? Personally and in conjunction with the group efforts.
My involvement is two fold. I am helping the Anarchapulco team with their efforts behind the scenes and I am also sending my own truck filled with supplies there tomorrow. More about that below.
The Anarchapulco team and Jeff Berwick are doing they can. I have joined the support group and I am helping by writing and helping to coordinate trucks and facilitate sharing of the information. This is Jeff’s fundraiser: https://hurricaneotisrecovery.com
To date, many community members who reside in Acapulco have been confirmed safe. We are still looking for others who have not made contact.
There are hundreds of displaced people and many dead (there are a lot of conflicting reports but people who are present report bodies washing up on beaches along the bay). Jeff has been sending trucks with food and supplies and they are actively helping the area between Bonfil and La Cima, including Diamante and La Isla. They are setting up soup kitchens and resource centers in those areas. The military has been helping and working alongside.
We have seen very few other agencies present in this area delivering food or water. The government’s efforts are centered near downtown. The Red Cross just entered the area yesterday.
My personal efforts and my personal reason:
This is my partner Erwin and his daughter Dana. She is almost 9. She lives in the Bonfil area with the mom, stepfather and mom’s parents. She also has a 4 year old sister, Lou.
As the situation unfolded and the services have not been restored in Acapulco still… the situation is becoming dangerous, especially for children. The sewage and other contaminants litter the streets. We realized that we had to do something about it… so last night we went to a grocery store and bought a bunch of food. He will be bringing water.as well as lighters and camp stoves into the community while we sweep in and take the kids to a more safer place. I realized that I don’t have enough money to FILL the car with necessities so I reached out to the local Patzcuaro and Morelia freedom communities asking if anyone would like to donate anything to the people of Acapulco.
We are accepting donations all day today from all corners of the land. Used or new, no matter, help us help them! Some people have reached out to us and provided some contributions towards the gas to rescue the girls. Whatever we have that is extra we will spend delivering goods to the people. Erwin has a day in Acapulco to make a couple of food pick ups and deliveries so realistically we could fill the car a couple more times while there.
If you can help, either help us directly or by participating in Jeff’s Restoration Efforts, all help is much appreciated. While most of those people are abandoned by the powers that be, as they provide aid to only chosen neighbourhoods, we want to make a difference for the people who have not received anything yet it’s going on 6 days without power… most of their kitchens were outdoors and have been swept away… there is little fresh water in the area.
Let’s do what we can!