Guerrero
$15-16.2B losses from Otis (2023); 16% GDP decline; 66.5% poverty rate; 73% Acapulco workforce in tourism; $1B+ damage from Hurricane John (2024).
Guerrero's economy suffered catastrophic damage when Hurricane Otis struck Acapulco as a Category 5 in October 2023—the first Pacific hurricane to make landfall at that intensity. Losses reached $15-16.2 billion, making it Mexico's costliest tropical cyclone ever. GDP declined 16% by early 2024; Q4 2023 economic activity contracted 40%. Tourism, which accounts for 73% of Acapulco's workforce and 30% of state GDP, was devastated when 80% of hotels were damaged. The state ranks among Mexico's top 5 in poverty (66.5%), with half of state GDP dependent on Acapulco. Hurricane John delivered another $1+ billion blow in September 2024. Road repairs have consumed $740 million since Otis, with $91 million more planned. A new 3,510-hectare tourism district is under development on Acapulco Bay's western side. Small businesses—street vendors, tour operators—prove far more fragile than major hotel chains that can absorb reconstruction costs.