Cockroaches and mountains of trash invade Acapulco after hurricane

Residents complain of rashes and stomach aches as 666,000 tonnes of garbage overwhelms the city. Uncollected waste after a natural disaster can lead to illness, experts say.

Beneath the broken windows of hotels in downtown Acapulco, people walk the along imposing hills of garbage bags. filled with rotten food and debris, from mattresses to Christmas decorations. Volunteer firefighters from faraway states clean up trash, wiping swarms of cockroaches from their arms.

Miles from coastal 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.

“We have no way to find masks to stay healthy,” said Ms. Del Valle. "We expect that we will be infected by the smell, by the waste."

Weeks after Hurricane Otis shocked forecasters and government officials Rapidly intensifying into the strongest storm to hit Mexico's Pacific coast and devastate much of Acapulco, residents say they now face a public health disaster.

Many residents, public health officials and first responders say they believe uncollected trash is linked to stomach infections, diarrhea, rashes and Other ailments people have been complaining about since the storm.

Local business groups called last week for federal and state officials to declare a health emergency citing “the accumulation of garbage, construction materials, lack of drinking water and the presence of insects and harmful fauna”, including human remains.

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

But people who live outside the city's touristy beachfront neighborhoods say they have to navigate in so many piles of garbage and debris that in some places it is difficult to reach hospitals and health centers.

ImageA team removing debris from a street in Acapulco. Many people living outside the city's beachfront tourist destinations say they have to contend with a proliferation of trash piles.Credit...David Guzman/EPA, via Shutterstock

Even as authorities respond to Acapulco's many needs - providing water to residents, restoring electricity and finding missing people - federal and local authorities are sounding the alarm on the long-term health consequences of the hurricane and say that waste disposal must be a priority.

The city's mayor estimates that 666,000 tons of waste are piled up in Acapulco. Under normal conditions, according to local authorities, 700 to 800 tonnes of waste are collected every day.

Map locating the city of Acapulco on the Pacific coast of Mexico, in the state of Guerrero. The map also locates the town of Zihuatanejo, which is...