WCK’s Relief Team was on the ground in Mexico just hours after Hurricane Otis made landfall over Acapulco. Arriving in Mexico City, the team quickly procured sandwiches and water, and loaded them onto multiple helicopters to distribute as they scouted impacted areas by air. More WCK staff and resources headed to the region to quickly scale up to meet the need.
Families in the state of Guerrero, on the Pacific coast of Mexico, were reeling after Hurricane Otis passed through. The storm was the strongest Pacific hurricane to ever hit the region, making landfall as a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 165 miles per hour. Otis dumped ten inches of rain in Guerrero, causing flooding and landslides that cut off roadways.
The city of Acapulco, a popular tourist destination that has a population of almost 900,000, was directly in its path. Nearly the entire city was left without access to electricity, clean water, or fuel. Roads, bridges, buildings, and homes were torn apart, and the total damage to the city’s infrastructure was immense.
WCK teams worked quickly to identify where people were most in need of support, and we served those communities as they began the long recovery process. Local chefs and volunteers worked alongside WCK, guiding our response with their invaluable understanding of local flavors, dishes, customs, and community connections.
By the numbers
gallons
potable water provided
meals
provided
tons
dry goods provided
local suppliers
partnered with WCK
local staff
hired to help with response
Happy Holidays
As WCK’s response wrapped up in December, we made sure to spread some holiday cheer. With Santa’s help, along with piñatas, sweet treats, and holiday food kits to make special meals, we made sure that families impacted by Hurricane Otis had a bright holiday season.
Meet Toñita
Toñita (right) is a food activist preserving the traditional cuisine of Guerrero, the state in Mexico devastated by Hurricane Otis. Beloved in her community, Toñita quickly becomes a grandmother to anyone she meets. Following the storm, she used fresh, local ingredients to make hundreds of meals daily for impacted communities. Her dishes became instant favorites across the region. “I learned from my mom to always cook with a smile.”
Masa Project
Corn tortillas are a main staple in Mexican cuisine, and most families buy freshly made tortillas from local shops. The key ingredient is masa—a type of corn flour. After the hurricane, shops across the region used what flour had made it through the storm to continue providing tortillas to their communities—but they quickly ran out.
WCK began purchasing thousands of pounds of corn flour and working to create partnerships with local tortillerias across the state of Guerrero. In El Espinalillo, Sandra and Olivia of Tortilleria Isabella agreed to work with WCK—receiving the corn flour they needed to make tortillas, while committing to specific, reasonable prices for the finished tortillas. This program helped local shops continue making tortillas for their communities, strengthened the local economy, and ensured that families who need tortillas could get them at an affordable price. Through partnerships like this, WCK makes sure communities are protected from the steep inflation normally seen after a disaster.
After the storm
In the days after Hurricane Otis made landfall, WCK teams used helicopters to reach isolated communities with sandwiches, meals, and water. Many of the people who were impacted had never seen a such an intense storm.
Help us provide food to families in need.
