Acapulco, a beach resort town in Mexico, had to ration food for thousands of stranded tourists on Wednesday, according to NBC News. The town was hit by floodwaters that covered homes and cars after a bad storm resulting from Hurricane Manuel hit the town. It was unclear when they would be able to leave.
The storm killed at least 55 people and was the most damaging storm to hit Acapulco in decades. The international airport terminal was filled waist deep with water. The flooding preventing about 40,000 people from leaving as well as blocking the main access routes to the city with mud.
The storm damage resulted from a three-day downpour that cut off several roads into the town. The area has a population of 750,000 people and used to be a destination for the rich and famous, but more recently the town had the highest murder rate in Mexico after a surge in drug gang violence.
Deliveries were disrupted preventing new supplies from arriving by the mud that blocked the tunnel into Acapulco.
Two major storms converged on Mexico coming from both the Pacific and the Gulf, causing flash flooding that washed away houses and caused landslides in parts of eastern Mexico.
The storm caused flooding in most of the Diamante district, preventing tourists from accessing ATMs, as well as closing restaurants.
"I had to go to a pawn shop to leave some jewelry to get money to be able to eat and pay for accommodation," Cristina Dominguez Navarro, who had rented an apartment with her family, said. "We came with just enough money for three days and now we have been here for five.
""I don't know what we'll do if they don't open the motorway soon," she continued.
Some of the larger hotels were offering a free night of accommodation to guests, but supplies were still low.
"They've started to ration food here," Pedro de la Torre, a graphic designer from Mexico City, said. "People are starting to get annoyed."
News coverage of Hurricane Manuel.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
