ACAPULCO: Mexico’s southern coast braced for Hurricane Otis on Wednesday as the Category 5 storm barreled towards the beach resort of Acapulco, with the potential to cause “catastrophic damage,” the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

The storm was expected to come ashore between 4 a.m. (1000 GMT) and 6 a.m. (1200 GMT), bringing high winds and heavy rain.

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.

By 9 p.m. on Tuesday (0300 GMT), Otis was about 55 miles south-southeast of Acapulco and blowing maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (257 kph), the Miami-based NHC added.

In Guerrero, authorities were preparing storm shelters and the national guard said it was helping to prepare for rescues and evacuations.

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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.

The storm could bring up to 20 inches (51 cm) of rain in parts of Guerrero and neighboring Oaxaca, with the possibility of flash floods and mudslides, a “potentially catastrophic” storm surge, and “life-threatening” surf and rip current conditions, authorities said.

Schools across Guerrero canceled classes for Wednesday ahead of Otis’ arrival, Governor Evelyn Salgado said on social media.