On Christmas Eve, he was still hoping to find them alive.

With this in mind, Trinidad de la Cruz – whose leg was severely injured in the strongest hurricane to ever hit Mexico’s Pacific coast – created an altar with family photographs, colourful flowers, garlands and candles to remind him of happier days.

The family had planned a Christmas dinner with grilled pork ribs. Instead, he skipped the meal, traditionally held on Dec 24, and shared a few tamales, a Mexican corn dish, with his mother.

Hurricane Otis devastated Acapulco early on Oct 25 when he was home with his wife, their 12-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son.

It reduced homes to rubble, killing at least 50 people, with many more missing, and caused billions of dollars in damage to houses and hotels.

Like Trinidad de la Cruz, many Acapulco residents are still searching for loved ones and clearing up the disaster.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has launched a US$3.4 billion recovery plan and pledged to get the once-vibrant beach resort back on its feet quickly. Many local businesses, however, will have missed the vital tourist season: Christmas.