The morning of October 25, 2023 was atypical in Acapulco, the night before Hurricane OTIS hit the city with category 5 and wind gusts
of 300 km per hour, although there was information that it was approaching, the government did not warn the people of its danger
and the trusting population did not took any precautions, there had never been a hurricane of this magnitude that hit the port, before
and we felt there was some divine protection stupid as it sounds, hundreds of lifes were lost in just 3 hours in from my house I could
see the Boat “Aca Rey” every nite do the bay tour with the hurricaine the boat sank and all of its crue was drowned.
At home, the force of the wind affected a huge mango tree and it blocked the door so we couldn’t get out. We had to get help
just to get out. This street was full of tree branches and aluminum shim that had flown from the neighboring roofs.
A car crushed by an electricity pole that was crossed and blocked the street announced to us the disaster that should have been
everywhere in the city, it was early. But there were already people walking looking for things among the fallen branches, on their
faces you could see the surprise at what had happened, no one remembered something like that, in Acapulco the hurricane began
to blow at around midnight and by 3 in the morning it was gone. In the middle of the wind gusts I heard a whistle that I identified as
the meow of a cat that was crying. It was very high-pitched and pitiful. I knew that that whistle was not from a cat, it was the devil
causing destruction and death in the city, destroying buildings, trees, cars, people, hopes, dreams, plans and changing the life of poor
and rich that will never be the same.
My motorcycle was under the trunk of a tree. Incredibly, I was able to rescue it with minimal damage and I prepared to go out to
see what had happened in the city. The streets surrounding my house were covered with fallen trees, but there were already people
circulating among them. I managed to reach the nacoplaza and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, hundreds of people were looting
a supermarket chedrahui, it was an activity like an anthill with hundreds of ants carrying all kinds of merchandise, televisions, furniture,
toys, groceries, some were pushing past motorcycles it was a pilgrimage and the people/ant wore a smile that held a minimum of guilt
or concern and a great satisfaction, no authority was present someone from the crowd shouted “there is no government” and he was right
there wasn’t and there wasn’t for three days and When there was, they let people continue looting all the stores, supermarkets, pharmacies
, self-service stores, many pawn shops and many more businesses were looted, there were entire families dedicated to looting who
worked day and night using cars, trucks and all kinds of transportation the stolen belongings and merchandise, Acapulco was destroyed,
many people had died, but a multitude in a coordinated manner, despite the lack of communication because there was no electricity
or telephone signal, managed to coordinate to empty all the stores with impunity, the government allowed it and was complicit,
the president of the country spends his time trying to minimize the damage and the victims he is such an ignorant asshole
who only thinks of increasing his power while Acapulco, destroyed, is beginning to recover due to the work of its people in a slow,
too slow manner.
Javier Ruiz Gutièrrez.
Abogado.
