WCK blankets Mexico’s Pacific Coast after ‘zombie storm’ Hurricane John
World Central Kitchen’s Relief Team arrived in Guerrero just hours after Hurricane John made its second landfall as a Category 3 storm on Mexico’s Pacific Coast—the eye passing just north of the tourist hub and capital city of Acapulco. The ‘zombie storm’ made itself known just days earlier, returning to batter a long stretch of coastline. Our team, led primarily by local people, quickly procured tortas and water and loaded them into helicopters, boats, and vehicles to scout the area for the hardest hit communities. Nearly a year after Hurricane Otis hit Acapulco, Hurricane John ravaged an even wider area, impacting the coast from Costa Chica to Costa Grande and reaching inland to the mountains of Chilpancingo de los Bravo—a stretch of more than 130 miles of mountainous coastline peppered with rural villages.
Despite challenges posed by the terrain and landslides that impacted the region for weeks following the storm, WCK has provided more than 878,000 meals through 143 distribution points reached by land, air, and water.
WCK’s Acapulco Field Kitchen
The bulk of meals we distribute across the enormous affected area come from our Field Kitchen in Acapulco. WCK teams built the kitchen in just three days.
What’s even more remarkable than the swift opening is the work happening under its tented roof every day. WCK staff, volunteers, cleaners, maintenance specialists, equipment and food loaders, distribution team members, cooks, and logistical coordinators work in concert to create 20,000 meals a day for Acapulco and surrounding towns.
Our daily meal count jumps to 43,000 with the support of 23 restaurant partners from Chilpancingo, Acapulco, and Ometepec—most of which also partnered with WCK last year after Hurricane Otis. Once meals are ready, drivers and volunteers pull up with 80 vans for pick up and then they deliver the food to distribution points where meals are served. Drivers then return with the insulated storage containers to ready them for the next day. “The drivers and volunteers learned last year to work with dignity, to keep things very clean, and most importantly, to work with love and a big smile while delivering the meals,” Ale, our Distribution Coordinator, shares.
When local people recognized the WCK logo in Guerrero again, they immediately began offering support following Hurricane John. “Acapulco will always remember World Central Kitchen, you are our angels,” says Jacqueline, a volunteer who worked with us last year.
Like Jacqueline, Chef Corps member Eduardo “Lalo” Palazuelos once again stepped up to support the community of Acapulco. He first cooked alongside WCK after Hurricane Otis. His restaurant Zibu is a restaurant partner, and Chef Lalo helps us make critical connections within the local community.
There’s no big or small place, only people that need to eat. We feed 1,000 and also people in the most remote areas.
Juan Camilo
Activation Manager
Local support is core to our efforts.The area affected by Hurricane John is much larger, and in many cases, more remote than areas we served after Hurricane Otis. The task is daunting, but Activation Manager Juan Camilo, pictured in the center above with Chef Ale and Chef Olicontinually reminds everyone: “There’s no big or small place, only people that need to eat. We feed 1,000 and also people in the most remote areas.”
Barrio Nuevo La Laja
The small town of Barrio Nuevo La Laja, one of the remote areas Juan Camilio refers to, lost its only access to the main road after their bridge collapsed into the river during Hurricane John, just as it did during Hurricane Otis. Last year, after walking food in buckets across the river to families in Barrio Nuevo La Laja, WCK worked alongside local residents to rebuild the bridge. The repair restored access to the isolated community and allowed our teams to safely deliver hot meals day after day.
Now, the bridge is rubble once again. Youth from the village are walking WCK meals across the high and swift river waters fed by steady rains in the area. Until the bridge is repaired, this is the only way to get essential food and water to residents, many of whom are seniors who cannot cross the river.
Aguas Blancas
In Aguas Blancas, about an hour northwest of Acapulco, WCK is delivering 200 hot meals daily at two distribution points. With roads still flooded or muddy, we’re delivering meals directly to seniors who are unable to leave their homes.
“I’ve lost all my belongings; my house got covered by water in minutes,” says María Aurora, a resident of Aguas Blancas whose house was flooded when the nearby river overflowed. “Thank God that I could take shelter on the upper floor of my house.”
El Embarcadero
In El Embarcadero, a small town surrounded by a picturesque lagoon, WCK delivers 900 hot meals daily. This area is facing new challenges in the wake of Hurricane John—the river and lake overflowed causing significant damage to many homes. Residents are still in the process of recovery and clean up.
Mireya offers her home as a delivery point for neighbors to collect food: “I’ve been through many hardships in my life; I know how it feels to go without food for your family. I love giving back, and now is the time.” From the first days after the flooding, Mireya and her family have been providing comforting WCK meals to people in need.
María and her daughter are among the dedicated volunteers helping deliver meals. “Last year, Hurricane Otis hit us really hard, and now, a year later, our town has been affected again. We still haven’t fully recovered,” María notes. “We want to help our community once more; in these situations, you can really see how we all come together.”
Ometepec
In Ometepec, located about six hours from Acapulco in Costa Chica, WCK partners with Daniel, a restaurant owner who cooks and delivers 1,300 meals a day. Daniel, who worked with us last year in our primary Field Kitchen, owns a family restaurant called Jardín de Tabachines. Teams distribute the meals prepared at Jardín de Tabachines to several locations, including Punta Maldonado, Tecoyame (Oaxaca), and Playa Ventura—some of the most remote and hardest hit areas in Guerrero.
It’s challenging to access these locations due to poor road conditions and their distance from larger cities. WCK scouts helped identify the urgent needs in this region. Many coastal towns experienced significant damage from strong winds and heavy rains, impacting both homes and the local infrastructure. Electricity in this area was just restored, allowing neighbors to work together to clean up and rebuild. The process will take time. We remain committed to supporting hard to reach communities during their recovery.
Punta Maldonad
We’re supporting Punta Maldonado with 500 hot meals each day.
Thanks to the help of Ana, the commissioner of Punta Maldonado (pictured with our Community Outreach Leader Brian), we also deliver 200 meals a day to the nearby town of Tecoyame, Oaxaca, which sustained damage in Hurricane John and the subsequent storms.
I know we are far from any big towns, and we truly appreciate that you came to help us and provide this delicious food.
Ana
Commissioner of Punta Maldonado
Pico del Monte
In Pico del Monte, the primary income streams stem from the harvesting of peanuts, coconut, and shrimp. Shrimping has come to a halt, leaving local fishermen concerned about the future of their catch and costs associated with rebuilding. “The heavy rains and winds caused significant damage to our community; some of us don’t even have a roof,” says Óscar. “We lack the funds to rebuild our homes, and many of us can’t even access essential groceries.”
The community is currently isolated and without electricity. To help, we are delivering 600 hot daily meals with the support of community members. They’re assisting with serving meals, cleaning up, and loading our insulated containers full of food. While in Pico del Monte, Activation Manager, Juan Camilo announced the delivery of our 500,000th meal in Mexico following Hurricane John.
Due to difficult road conditions in the area, we are using boats to deliver meals from the nearby community of Chautengo. Two boats transport food safely and efficiently to the lakeside communities as Chautengo, Llano de la Barra, and Pico del Monte are all situated around the same lake.
Don Sergio is one of the drivers that helps WCK deliver meals every day from Acapulco to other locations across the widespread affected areas we serve. He was born and raised in Acapulco and has worked as a taxi driver and a tour guide for more than three decades. He’s passionate about his job and loves telling passengers stories about his city. He refers to himself as a “human GPS” because he’s the go-to expert on getting around. “I know every little corner of this city,” he’s quick to say.
“Acapulco is currently going through a complicated situation, there’s more insecurity on the streets and we, the drivers, don’t have the jobs that we used to have, tourists are not coming as they used to do,” he shares.
Sergio’s home was damaged last year by Hurricane Otis, but that was not the first time he faced disaster. His house was also affected by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake of 2021, and again during Hurricanes Ingrid and Manuel in 2013. Over the years, Sergio has endured many catastrophic events in Acapulco. “I have experienced the worst and the best of Acapulco,” he reflects.
Sergio worked with WCK last year bringing hope and a big smile every day, embodying the WCK spirit of seeing the good even in disastrous situations.
Don Sergio delivers meals in several communities around Acapulcoincluding the shelter of Colonia Libertad, where we deliver 400 hot meals daily.
Nature is horribly beautiful. When she gets angry, she can be destructive. If we take care of her, she takes care of us.
Don Sergio
WCK Driver
Colonia La Libertad
A daily stop on Sergio’s route is the Colonia Libertad shelter, where more than 500 people were staying for fear of landslides before Hurricane John hit their community. Doña Julia is taking shelter in her daughter’s home next to the shelter in Colonia La Libertad. Her home is on the hillside of the mountain, and she is scared that the rains may cause landslides and destroy her home.
“My neighbor passed away when his home was destroyed due to the landslide,” she says. “I don’t feel safe in my own home, I never thought that this would happen to me.” Doña Julia has already rebuilt her home once following Hurricane Paulina in 1997.
The Martinez Family is sheltering in the school of Colonia La Libertad. “We don’t have a home anymore, what are we going to do now?” Seven members of the family are sleeping and spending the long days in the school-turned-shelter. “Thanks to our friends and neighbors we have received clothes and basic supplies, but we don’t have the most important thing, our home,” they share. They explain that, because their home is adjacent to a landslide, the local authorities have advised them tnot to return..
WCK’s past efforts in Acapulco informed our work in response to Hurricane John. The knowledge, connections, and friends made in the wake of Hurricane Otis positioned our teams to begin serving communities in need immediately after Hurricane John cleared Mexico’s rugged Pacific Coast. With the enduring spirit of the local people and their commitment to helping one another, the area will recover. Acapulco, its culinary community, and local families will emerge stronger than ever before.
Click the map to explore more of our response to Hurricane John along the coast of Guerrero.
Help WCK provide hot meals to families recovering from natural disasters.
