HURRICANE DEAN

Story below copyright and courtesy of Citynews.ca


Hurricane Dean made landfall in Mexico Tuesday as a rare Category Five hurricane but subsequently weakened to a Category Three, as thousands of residents and tourists scrambled for shelter.

The storm picked up strength after sweeping past Jamaica and the Cayman Islands Monday, and was packing winds of about 270km/h as it moved west across the Yucatan peninsula. However it lost some intensity as it moved over land. Still, Mayan ruins and oil facilities were considered at risk, and state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos opted to shut down production Monday on its offshore rigs.

Dean has so far been blamed for 12 deaths across the Caribbean, and though it wasn't expected to strike the resort area of Cancun directly vacationers fled Mayan Riviera beaches to be on the safe side.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon, meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President George Bush in Quebec opted to cut his trip short on account of the potential devastation to parts of his country.

Dean was on course for central Mexico next, and could bring rains and heavy winds to Texas in the U.S. A hurricane warning was in effect from Cancun to Belize, and in Belize City three hospitals were evacuated. Patients were moved inland to the capital of Belmopan, founded after hurricane Hattie destroyed Belize City in 1961. Belize City's Mayor Zenaida Moya urged residents to leave the city saying that its shelters weren't strong enough to protect against the wrath of a Category Five storm.

Tourists have been leaving the area by the planeload and officials suggest 50,000 have left the Yucatan over the past three days.

The worst storm to hit Latin America remains 1998's Hurricane Mitch, which killed almost 11,000 people and left more than 8,000 missing.

If you're worried about friends and family who are stranded in the Caribbean you can call the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more information. The number there is 1-800-267-8376.

To send your donations to Jamaican's affected by the storm, visit the Jamaican Canadian Association Website.

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As I write this blog (1:30 pm on Tuesday), Dean is at a Category 2 with winds of 167 km/h. Those winds will gust to 222 km/h. Dean is 1242 km north-west of Miami, FL.

To see the Saffir-Simposon Hurricane Scale, click here.

TO CONTACT THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFIARS, AND TO REACH THE NUMBER, PLEASE CLICK ON "WEB WEATHER" ON THE LEFT SIDE.

Chris

Weather Specialist