Cockroaches and mountains of waste plague Acapulco after hurricane

Beneath the shattered windows of the high-rise hotels in central Acapulco, people walk past towering mounds of garbage bags filled with rotting food and debris, from mattresses to Christmas decorations. Volunteer firefighters from distant states clean up the trash and sweep swarms of cockroaches from their arms.

Miles from the seaside resorts, Elizabeth Del Valle, 43, listened as her teenage daughter Constanza Sotelo described the “mountains of trash” that still block many streets around their home.

“There is no way we can find face masks to keep ourselves healthy,” Ms. Del Valle said. “We expect that we are going to get an infection from the stench, from the waste.”

Weeks after Hurricane Otis shocked forecasters and government officials by quickly growing into the strongest storm to hit Mexico’s Pacific coast and destroying much of Acapulco, residents say they are now facing an unfolding public health disaster.

Many local residents, public health officials and first responders say they believe the uncollected waste is linked to stomach infections, diarrhea and rashes and other ailments people have complained about since the storm.

Local business groups this past week called on federal and state officials to declare a sanitary emergency, citing “the buildup of trash, construction materials, lack of drinking water and the presence of insects and harmful wildlife,” including human remains.

As thousands of troops descended on Acapulco after Otis made landfall, authorities first prioritized clearing debris and restoring power to tourist resort areas, according to city officials, local business leaders and residents. Some hotels in that area have now reopened.

But people living outside the city’s touristy beachside neighborhoods say they have to navigate so many piles of trash and debris that it’s difficult to reach hospitals and health centers in some places.

Even as authorities respond to Acapulco’s many needs — providing water to residents, restoring power and finding missing people — federal and local officials are sounding the alarm about the hurricane’s longer-term impact on the country. health and saying that cleaning up waste should be a priority.

The city’s mayor estimates that Acapulco has 666,000 tons of waste piled up. Under normal circumstances, 700 to 800 tons of waste are collected daily, according to local officials.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has promised a speedy recovery and says families in Acapulco will be “satisfied for Christmas.”

The mayor, Abelina López Rodríguez, thinks the timeline will be much longer. “To say that we will rebuild Acapulco in a month or five months would be a lie,” she said.

The president’s support is crucial, said Ms. López Rodríguez, “because waste does not forgive.” The situation could soon become “a health crisis,” she added.

Since Otis devastated Acapulco — killing at least 50 people and leaving 30 missing — health brigades made up of federal workers have cleaned and disinfected just over a third of the city’s 507 neighborhoods, throwing away hundreds of pounds of rotting food, Mexicans say officials. said.

Natural disasters can often lead to outbreaks of infectious diseases, public health experts say. Piles of garbage left outside can attract mosquitoes and rats, which can then spread infectious diseases. A lack of power can also lead to contaminated food, increasing the risk of stomach infections and diseases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was established after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 reported skin lesions, diarrhea and pneumonia among evacuees.

Health problems related to uncollected waste are “more common than we expect,” said Amber Mehmood, an associate professor of public health at the University of South Florida who focuses on global health and disaster management. Debris and trash, she said, can become a “breeding ground for mosquitoes that can transmit malaria and the Zika virus.”

“There are plenty of reasons to be concerned,” Ms Mehmood added.

Leslye Solís Mireles, 31, a firefighter and paramedic who leads a team of more than 50 firefighters from another Mexican state, said her crew in Acapulco had helped people treat several illnesses that she believes stem from the accumulating waste.

“It’s literally a source of infection,” she said, adding that she and many of her own firefighters were now suffering from stomach infections and skin rashes.

Ms. López Rodríguez said her government should expand the city’s landfill and find more equipment to remove the enormous amount of waste. Acapulco needs 500 trucks to clear the rubble; As of now, the city has about 150 available, she said.

According to the Guerrero state government, more than 211,000 tons of waste have been collected so far.

Otis also destroyed 12,500 power poles in the city, the mayor said, although the Electricity Commission said Friday that power has been restored to 89 percent of users in Acapulco. But thousands whose homes were severely damaged still had no electricity, most of them in poor or rural suburbs, city officials said.

Ms. López Rodríguez pleads for patience among her frustrated voters. By the end of the year, she is focused on “at least having our streets clean, our homes clean, and the water and electricity systems operational.”

“I appeal for understanding because a natural phenomenon of such magnitude is beyond any quick effort,” added Ms. López Rodríguez. “I don’t want to say it can’t be done, but it can’t be done overnight.”

W. Craig Fugate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under President Barack Obama, said clearing debris from the streets was also critical to accessing vehicles carrying supplies.

Besides the health threat, Acapulco must also ensure it is ready to welcome tourists, he said. “The last thing I want when I can get something open,” Mr. Fugate said, “is the smell of rotting garbage on my street. It is a nuisance, possibly a risk to public health, but also an eyesore.”

But some residents of Acapulco’s rural areas say they’ve waited long enough.

On a recent afternoon, Maricruz Balboa was rushing from her hilly neighborhood when she heard businessmen from another state were giving away supplies from a box truck parked on the side of the street. A crowd of desperate residents grabbed soap, hand sanitizer, food and sneakers.

“So far we have had almost no help here,” said Ms. Balboa, 48, as she showed off the valuables she had received: a few water bottles, fruits, vegetables, shampoo and sanitary pads.

Ms. Del Valle made sure to get hand sanitizer from the same truck when it parked near her neighborhood. She said it was the first time someone had delivered food and supplies in her community.

“The government is giving as much as it can,” she said. “But it’s not enough.”

There are some signs of a comeback. Several businesses – pastor restaurants, barbershops and fruit stands – have reopened.

Residents can clean up the rubble outside their homes themselves. On a recent Wednesday afternoon, children were playing with a kite in a section of a lawn that was otherwise filled with trash.

“Whether you are a government official or not, whether you have money or not, there is support,” said Octaviano Roque Ruiz, 75, a retired teacher, as he walked out of a tent where government officials were handing out stipends to the elderly. to help them recover from the storm.

He had been diagnosed with high blood pressure and diabetes before the storm, but Mr Ruiz said he now had intestinal pain and what appeared to be conjunctivitis. He had recently tried to go to the hospital but was told this was not possible and that he would have to come back another day.

Other residents said conditions in Acapulco had made it impossible to live there for the time being.

Nicolás Linares, 59, left Acapulco shortly after Otis made landfall to join his brother in Zihuatanejo, a coastal town about 150 miles north, but returned this month after hearing rumors that services had been restored.

“And I arrive and it’s not true,” he said, adding that the room he rents in the city had no electricity or water.

Mr. Linares tried to return to Zihuatanejo one recent afternoon, but tickets were no longer available at the bus station. He said he would come back the next day.

“Now I have to go back to my neighborhood,” he said. “I have no other choice.”