Dean Makes Landfall in Mexico

Storm that rattled Caribbean arrives in the Yucatán
By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 21, 2007 4:54 AM CDT
Dean Makes Landfall in Mexico
Israel Martinez installs plywood boards to cover the windows of his store in Tulum, Mexico, Monday, Aug. 20, 2007. Hurricane Dean spared the Cayman Islands the worst of its fury on Monday as it headed for a collision course with Mexico's resort-dotted Caribbean coast, sending tourists fleeing for the...   (Associated Press)

The ferocious Hurricane Dean struck Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula early this morning as it moved west from Jamaica. Winds of over 160mph, above the threshold for a Category 5 storm, are expected to batter seaside towns and tourist destinations on the Maya Riviera. Mexican officials have evacuated local residents, oil production has ceased, and tourists have fled.

The hurricane largely spared Jamaica, which suffered substantial damage to infrastructure but only two fatalities. Storm-related deaths have also been reported in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, St. Lucia and Dominica. Mexico that seems likely to bear the brunt of Dean's wrath: the latest meteorological reports expected to push northwest into the Gulf of Mexico, where it should strike Veracruz tomorrow. (More Hurricane Dean stories.)

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