Candido Trinidad de la Cruz, 40, (L) who lost his family and home during Hurricane Otis, and other relatives, moves a picture of his family on an altar placed in their memory at the place where their house used to be, on Christmas Eve, in Acapulco, Mexico December 24, 2023. REUTERS/Javier Verdin
ACAPULCO, Mexico — Candido Trinidad de la Cruz had been planning a family Christmas celebration until Hurricane Otis hit two months ago and flooded the Mexican beach resort Acapulco, sweeping away his wife and two children, and all their belongings.
On Christmas Eve, he was still hoping to find them alive.
With this in mind, Trinidad de la Cruz – whose leg was severely injured in the strongest hurricane to ever hit Mexico’s Pacific coast – created an altar with family photographs, colorful flowers, garlands and candles to remind him of happier days.
The family had planned a Christmas dinner with grilled pork ribs. Instead, he skipped the meal, traditionally held on Dec. 24, and shared a few tamales, a Mexican corn dish, with his mother.
Hurricane Otis devastated Acapulco early on Oct. 25 when he was home with his wife, their 12-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son.
It reduced homes to rubble, killing at least 50 people, with many more missing, and caused billions of dollars in damage to houses and hotels.
Like Trinidad de la Cruz, many Acapulco residents are still searching for loved ones and clearing up the disaster.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has launched a $3.4 billion recovery plan and pledged to get the once-vibrant beach resort back on its feet quickly. Many local businesses, however, will have missed the vital tourist season: Christmas.