AP PHOTOS: Devastation followed by desperation in Acapulco after Hurricane Otis rips through

ACAPULCO, 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.

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This GOES-East GeoColor satellite image taken Friday, Oct. 27, 2023 at 12:36 p.m. EDT., and provided by NOAA, shows Tropical Storm Tammy, right. Forecasters say Tammy has gained strength over the Atlantic Ocean and redeveloped into a tropical storm. The storm around midday was about 215 miles (350 kilometers) east of Bermuda, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph), the National Hurricane Center said. It was moving northwest at 3 mph (6 kph). (NOAA via AP)

Tammy has redeveloped into a tropical storm over the Atlantic Ocean, forecasters say

A child stands at the entrance of his damaged home after Hurricane Otis ripped through Acapulco, Mexico, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023. The hurricane that strengthened swiftly before slamming into the coast early Wednesday as a Category 5 storm has killed at least 27 people as it devastated Mexico’s resort city of Acapulco. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Mexican officials say supplies are getting into Acapulco and people are getting out

A traffic sign lays on a car after Hurricane Otis ripped through Acapulco, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. Hurricane Otis ripped through Mexico's southern Pacific coast as a powerful Category 5 storm, unleashing massive flooding, ravaging roads and leaving large swaths of the southwestern state of Guerrero without power or cellphone service. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Hurricane Otis survivors search for friends and necessities in devastated Acapulco

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.