Capsized and swamped boats litter Acapulco Bay on Saturday, days after Hurricane Otis slammed into Mexico’s Pacific Coast. (Quetzalli Nicte-Ha/Reuters)ACAPULCO, Mexico — As the winds grew more insistent and the waves jerked his boat, Demetrio Felipe made a last phone call to his wife at home. He urged her to close the windows and stay inside.
The ocean was getting ugly, the yacht captain told her. He and his crew were going to ride out the storm, guarding the vessel as they always did.But what they initially thought was a tropical storm strengthened quickly to a Category 5 hurricane, with 165-mph winds and surging waters that cleared a path of destruction toward theIn the week after Hurricane Otis slammed into Acapulco, Felipe’s 22-year-old daughter searchedwith authorities for answers.
One of Felipe’s crewmates showed up at his home asking for him. The night of the hurricane, he told the family, the men jumped into the ocean with life vests. It was pitch-black. The survivor said he washed ashore about eight miles from the yacht’s last known location. He wanted to know whether Felipe had made it home. (The third crew member is also missing.)searched for him from the naval base to the coastal towns of Coyuca and Pie de la Cuesta. headtopics.com
“We’ve searched for him by sea, land, in hospitals … but we haven’t been able to find him,” Morales said. “Now we can only wait.”Abril Felipe’s partner, Jorge Jiménez, was also on the water the night of the hurricane. As the storm picked up, he said, he jumped off his vessel and managed to swim to a dock and sheltered in a bathroom. He spent the night fearing for his life.
On Tuesday, the couple walked and hitchhiked in the late-morning heat from their home across town to the Acapulco marina where her father worked. Abril Felipe, a nursing student, wore a high ponytail with a wide bow and a backpack shaped like a teddy bear. She carried an umbrella to protect her from the scorching tropical sun. headtopics.com