<p>Acapulco, Mexico: 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.</p><p>The storm was expected to come ashore between 4 am (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.</p><p>By 9 pm 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.</p><p>In Guerrero, authorities were preparing storm shelters and the national guard said it was helping to prepare for rescues and evacuations.</p>.Brazen ambush leaves at least 13 local police dead in Mexico.<p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>Schools across Guerrero canceled classes for Wednesday ahead of Otis' arrival, Governor Evelyn Salgado said on social media.</p>
<p>Acapulco, Mexico: 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.</p><p>The storm was expected to come ashore between 4 am (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.</p><p>By 9 pm 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.</p><p>In Guerrero, authorities were preparing storm shelters and the national guard said it was helping to prepare for rescues and evacuations.</p>.Brazen ambush leaves at least 13 local police dead in Mexico.<p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>Schools across Guerrero canceled classes for Wednesday ahead of Otis' arrival, Governor Evelyn Salgado said on social media.</p>