Mexico's president predicts full recovery for Acapulco, but resort residents see difficulties

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is ebullient about the recovery of Acapulco after Hurricane Otis smashed into the resort on Oct. 25, killing 52 people

ACAPULCO, Mexico -- Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador spoke ebulliently Wednesday about the recovery of Acapulco after Hurricane Otis smashed into the resort on Oct. 25, killing 52 people.

But some residents still don’t have running water, sewage treatment is still deficient, tons of garbage and debris remain in the streets, and few hotels are fully open.

López Obrador predicted the once-glamorous Pacific coast city would be 100% recovered by March, and claimed many residents’ homes are now in better shape than before the Category 5 hurricane hit.

“Without doubt, in March, 100 (percent)," the president said at a news briefing in Acapulco. “The majority of people's houses in Acapulco are now better than they were before the hurricane.”

While hundreds of tons of debris have been removed, and some of the shattered, looted stores have re-opened, things are far from close to normal.