Hurricane Otis began to form on October 22, 2023, and struck the coast of Mexico on October 25. While local weather forecasters had initially assessed Otis as a Category 1 storm, within only 12 hours it intensified into a Category 5 storm, catching many people off guard.
The city of Acapulco and the surrounding Guerrero State witnessed the strongest hurricane ever recorded on the Pacific coast in the Americas. With about 100 people reported dead or missing, 279,000 homes damaged, and 120 hospitals and clinics battered by the storm, the true toll of this disaster is yet to be fully understood. At present, about 1.5 million people are affected, and almost as many require humanitarian assistance.
ADRA quickly assessed and addressed a significant problem: the hurricane had damaged crucial infrastructure, effectively knocking out central communication systems. With the significant number of people reported missing during the storm, it became vitally important to help families reconnect. ADRA Mexico has so far helped connect 6,183 families to free satellite internet. Multi-purpose cash assistance has also been provided so far to 430 households in the form of prepaid cards, and the network is planning to expand that cash assistance to a two-month period, aiming at helping 1,500 households.
At present, ADRA Canada has committed 10,000 USD to the network’s response. Contributions to ADRA’s emergency fund are greatly valued at this time.
