Last week's storm left at least 45 people dead and 47 missing.
Clubs and venues in Mexico City are uniting to help those affected by Hurricane Otis.
The Category 5 storm hit the beachfront city of Acapulco, in the state of Guerrero, last Wednesday, October 25th. At the time of writing, at least 45 people have been found dead and 47 are still missing. Now, the club community in Mexico City, which is six hours away, are gathering donations of food and other provisions for the storm's survivors.
Two clubs—Fünk and Departamento—have converted to collection centers for these donations. Fünk's founder, Adrian Valadez, said the people of Mexico have always relied on the community during times of natural disasters.
"The response from people has been overwhelming," he told Resident Advisor. "It's truly inspiring to see how our community comes together. Our hope is that these donations will provide immediate relief to those affected by Hurricane Otis. We want to ensure that the basic needs of those affected are met as soon as possible. We also think that encouraging united actions and helping each other in times like these strengthens the bonds within our society and builds resilience to future disasters."
Departamento founder Julian Placencia believes there's still a lot of work to be done. "The help has been coming in slow because of disinformation about what can be done to help," he said. "I'm sure the right help will increase if we keep encouraging people to get to the right information. We'll just have to keep doing this for who knows how long because help is going to be needed for a long time. Years, maybe. The damage is enormous."
Placencia also said that there is speculation among the locals that the government stalled incoming help from other institutions. While these rumours haven't been substantiated, organiser Mafer Fabián confirmed that the government didn't warn Acapulco residents and visitors of the incoming hurricane. "The police aren't doing anything to help [either]," she added.
Fabián is now helping put together a charity event in Mexico City to gather vital resources for the people of Guerrero. RA is involved alongside several local collectives such as Ext., Por Detroit, Terminal CDMX, Algo Bien, Lapi and Tumulto. The party will take place this Friday, November 3rd, at S de Supremo and will be free to enter as long as attendees bring at least three items for donation.
Additional funds raised will go towards setting up community kitchens and installing telecommunication services for the people of Guerrero. Some of the biggest issues in the storm's aftermath are that locals are resorting to looting for resources and the area's phone and internet service have blacked out. All donations will go directly to Mexican Red Cross and local shelters in the affected areas.
"During the earthquake [in 2017], everyone was always helping each other, so it's really nice to still see that happen again," said Fabián. "Everyone needs unity. It's time to be a family."
Browse the event listing below for more information on Friday's charity event.
Photo: Mafer Fabián
Correction, November 1st: A previous version of this article suggested that only 45 people had died and 47 were missing. The actual numbers are expected to be higher.