A street is strewn with debris 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. Photo: USA Today

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said in a press conference early Thursday that the government is working to restore electricity and begin the cleanup of the destruction left in the storm's path. Photos and videos from the southern state of Guerrero show flooded streets, downed powerlines and debris from partially collapsed buildings strewn in the roads, posing a communication barrier that López Obrador acknowledge impacted government response times.

Roughly 10,000 military troops and hundreds of trucks tasked with restoring power arrived in Acapulco Wednesday and Thursday, but seemed ill equipped to actually handle the severity of the damage, reported AP.

Road and air access were also cut off following the storm's impact and both remain questionable despite efforts to clear access to the seaport, AP also said. Authorities were able to partially open the main highway connecting Acapulco to Chilpancingo and Mexico City late Wednesday, allowing emergency responders and further aid to arrive.

"What Acapulco suffered was really disastrous," López Obrador said in Thursday's conference. “We regret the 27 dead."

Hurricane Otis is one of the strongest recorded storms to ever hit Mexico, reaching windspeeds of 165 mph at landfall.

López Obrador noted that no powerlines appeared to stay standing in the affected area, leaving residents without even cell service to call for help. Heavy flooding also triggered landslides and blanketed the ground with feet of thick, heavy muds. Forecasts predicted up to 15 inches of rain in some areas.

The full extent of damages and human toll remains unclear due to ongoing communications disruptions and difficult to navigate conditions.