Post-Storm Acapulco Scrubs for Tourists

Acapulco seems to have quickly cleaned up its tourist area after Hurricane Pauline’s torrential rains left at least 120 people dead in the city earlier this month.

Hotels in Mexico’s most famous resort were barely damaged. A few closed for several days to clean up dirty swimming pools and debris-strewn gardens. But all major hotels now are operating normally, and have ended water rationing, residents and officials said. Even the golf course at the Acapulco Princess hotel--which became a waist-high lake immediately after the hurricane--is drained and open.

While hotels and beaches were quickly spruced up, though, the tourist zone isn’t quite back to normal. Visitors still can spot passers-by on the famous seaside Costera promenade wearing surgical masks because of the dust rising from drying mud. And some streets bear scars from the storm. In three segments of the scenic Pie de la Cuesta highway, which stretches northwest from Acapulco, motorists must take detours on dirt roads.

About 2,000 cases of conjunctivitis caused by the dust have been treated in recent days, state officials say. But they insist tourists are not at risk of cholera. Nearly two dozen cases have been reported in the city since the storm, all in poor neighborhoods or shelters for hurricane victims.

Since October is generally the slow season, authorities say the tourism industry hasn’t been crippled. About 150,000 workers in Acapulco depend directly or indirectly on tourism.