<div><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Mexico’s southern coast braced for Hurricane Otis on Wednesday as the Category 5 storm made landfall near the beach resorts of Acapulco, with the potential to cause “catastrophic damage,” the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The hurricane reached land near Acapulco, bringing maximum sustained winds around 270kph and heavy rain, the center said.</div><div><br></div><div>The storm could bring up to 20 inches (51cm) of rain in parts of Guerrero and Oaxaca, with the possibility of flash floods and mudslides, a “potentially catastrophic” storm surge, and “life-threatening” surf and rip current conditions, authorities said.</div><div><br></div><div>Mexico’s national water agency CONAGUA warned of six-to-eight-meter surf off Guerrero state, home to Acapulco, and also off parts of Oaxaca state.</div><div><br></div><div>By 9 p.m. on Tuesday (0300 GMT), Otis was about 55 miles south-southeast of Acapulco and blowing maximum sustained winds of 257kph, the Miami-based NHC added.</div><div><br></div><div>In Guerrero, authorities were preparing storm shelters and the national guard said it was helping to prepare for rescues and evacuations.</div><div><br></div><div>The defense ministry enacted a disaster plan ahead of the storm’s arrival, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on social media late on Tuesday, as soldiers patrolled Acapulco’s emptying beaches.</div><div><br></div><div>Schools across Guerrero canceled classes for Wednesday ahead of Otis’ arrival, Governor Evelyn Salgado said on social media. According to Reuters reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>