© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: People protest against what they say is the lack of government help, in the aftermath of Hurricane Otis, in Acapulco, Mexico, November 5, 2023. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez
By Troy Merida
ACAPULCO, Mexico (Reuters) – Residents of Acapulco stunned by a devastating hurricane are now battling with another blight trailing in the storm’s wake: garbage piling up in streets, fanning concern about the spread of disease in the Mexican beach resort.
Hurricane Otis, which roared through Acapulco in the early hours of Oct. 25, was the most powerful storm on record to strike Mexico’s Pacific coast, killing dozens of people and wrecking thousands of homes in the city of nearly 900,000.
Its 165 miles per hour (266 km per hour) winds caused major flooding, destroying furnishings, bedding and household appliances that were dumped outside homes alongside bags of rotting organic waste that have fed putrid smells in the city.
The government has sent in thousands of soldiers to help clean up Acapulco, but residents say rubbish has engulfed some areas so quickly that even traffic is being held up.
“They need to come and get the trash because there’s too much of it,” said…
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