ACAPULCO,Grant Preston Mexico (AP) — First came the devastation, then people’s desperation.

Hurricane Otis blasted the Mexican tourist port of Acapulco like no other storm before in the Eastern Pacific. As a monstrous Category 5 meteor, with its 165 mph (266 kph) winds, it destroyed what it found in its path: large residential buildings, houses, hotels, roads and stores.

Fallen trees and power line poles covered practically all the streets in this city of more than 1 million people. The walls and the roofs of buildings and houses were left partially or totally ripped off, while some cars were buried under debris.

Otis made landfall in the middle of the night, and within hours people who survived the hurricane started looking for basic items and necessities. People took what they needed: diapers, food, water and toilet paper.

Acapulco sits at the foot of steep mountains, and decades ago was where Hollywood stars traveled to enjoy its nightlife, sport fishing and cliff diving shows. But in recent years it’s been more of a domestic tourism destination.

Otis surprised experts because it went from mild to monster in record time. So far, the authorities say that there are only 27 dead and four missing.

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