October 31, 2023

In the early morning hours of Wednesday, October 25th, Hurricane Otis — a record-breaking Category 5 hurricane —slammed into Acapulco, Mexico, causing horrifying destruction and pain.

Officials and residents were left with little time to prepare for the severity of the storm because early forecasts significantly underestimated the threat. Hurricane Otis rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to an extremely dangerous Category 5 hurricane – the area’s strongest storm on record – in just 12 hours.

More than 500,000 homes and businesses lost power across Mexico’s state of Guerrero. Service has been restored to less than 30% of those impacted. Acapulco has no power, electricity, telephone service, internet or gas; even Acapulco International Airport has suspended operations.  

Hope Force International's Mexico Director, Zalathiel Rodriguez, has shared that residents are in desperate need of food and drinking water; supermarkets have been destroyed, cleaned out and even robbed and looted.  A team of medical professionals has rallied to help provide crucial aid to those injured in this storm.

Zalathiel is leading a team of Hope Force Reservists from three states within Mexico to travel to the affected areas.  They will be staging at a Methodist church in Chilpancingo.  He told our team, "No words to express what we experienced entering Acapulco; total disaster and chaos.  We have been speechless!  We have had the privilege to listen to what survivors have to say, as we do our best not to cry." 

Please pray for the nearly 500,000 who are without crucial food, nutrition, shelter and utilities and for God's mercy to be known by those so deeply impacted by Hurricane Otis. Please also join us in prayer for our team of Reservists as they seek to serve the survivors of this deadly storm.

Would you please consider making a financial gift which will empower our team to offer hope and practical help in the face of this horrible disaster?