Hurricane Dean strikes Yucatan peninsula, then weakens ~ Learn Spanish language fast | free memory tricks | Spanish vocabulary lessons.
-->

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Hurricane Dean strikes Yucatan peninsula, then weakens


Hurricane Dean slammed into the Caribbean coast of Mexico on Tuesday as a roaring Category 5 hurricane, the most intense Atlantic storm to make landfall in two decades. It lashed ancient Mayan ruins and headed for the modern oil installations of the Yucatan Peninsula.


Dean's path was a stroke of luck for Mexico: It made landfall in a sparsely populated coastline that had already been evacuated, skirting most of the major tourist resorts. It weakened within hours to a Category 3 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph.

The eye of the storm hit land near Majahual, a port popular with cruise liners, and it was racing across the Yucatan Peninsula toward a Tuesday afternoon entry into the Bay of Campeche, where the state oil company evacuated the oil rigs that produce most of Mexico's oil.

In the largely Mayan town of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, at one point about 30 miles from the center of the storm, people stared from their porches at broken tree limbs and electrical cables crisscrossing the streets, some of which were flooded with ankle-deep water. Tin roofing ripped from houses clunked hollowly as it bounced in the wind whistling through town.

“We began to feel the strong winds about 2 in the morning and you could hear that the trees were breaking and some tin roofs were coming off,” said Miguel Colli, a 36-year-old store employee. “Everyone holed up in their houses. Thank God that the worst is over.”

With the storm still screaming, there were no immediate reports of deaths, injuries or major damage, Quintana Roo Gov. Felix Gonzalez told Mexico's Televisa network, though officials had not been able to survey the area. In the Quintana Roo state capital, Chetumal, the storm downed trees and sent sheets of metal flying through the air.

At landfall, Dean had sustained winds near 165 mph and gusts that reached 200 mph – faster than the takeoff speed of many passenger jets. It was moving west-northwest near 20 mph across the Yucatan Peninsula.

The hurricane killed at least 12 people across the Caribbean, picked up strength after brushing Jamaica and the Cayman Islands and became a monstrous Category 5 hurricane Monday. Sections of the Jamaican capital and the island's east suffered severe damage in the storm, and the country postponed Aug. 27 general elections.

Only three Category 5 storms, capable of catastrophic damage, have hit the U.S. since 1935. Dean is the first Category 5 to make landfall in the Atlantic region since Hurricane Andrew hit south Florida in 1992. Thousands of tourists fled the beaches of the Mayan Riviera. Though expected to escape a direct hit, Cancun still could face destructive winds.

“There's a lot of noisy wind now with this creature all over us,” state civil protection official Francisco de la Cruz said from his hurricane-proof offices in Chetumal.

The hurricane center said Dean could gain power as it crosses the Bay of Campeche and would likely be a major hurricane when it makes landfall a second time on Wednesday. The storm's track would carry it into the central Mexican coast about 400 miles south of the Texas border.

“We often see that when a storm weakens, people let down their guard completely. You shouldn't do that,” said Jamie Rhome, a hurricane specialist. “This storm probably won't become a Category 5 again, but it will still be powerful.”

At 7 a.m. EDT, Dean's eye was over the Yucatan Peninsula, 40 miles northwest of Chetumal.
Meteorologists said a storm surge of 12 to 18 feet was possible at the storm's center, which could push sea water deep inland. Heavy rains threatened to inundate the swampy region.

Petroleos Mexicanos evacuated all 18,000 offshore workers and shut down production rigs on the Bay of Campeche – resulting in a production loss of 2.7 million barrels of oil and 2.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day. On Tuesday, Dean threatened the Yucatan's most vulnerable population – the Mayan people – many of whom have seen little of the riches from oil or tourism, and still live in traditional wooden slat huts in small settlements all over this low-lying area.

President Felipe Calderón said he would cut short a trip to Canada where he is meeting with President Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and travel Tuesday to the areas where the hurricane was expected to hit.

Trees fell and debris flew through the air in Corozal on Belize's northern border with Mexico. The government had evacuated Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye – both popular with U.S. tourists – and ordered a dusk-to-dawn curfew from Belize City to the Mexican border. Authorities evacuated Belize City's three hospitals and were moving high-risk patients inland to the nation's capital, Belmopan, founded after 1961's Hurricane Hattie devastated Belize City. Mayor Zenaida Moya urged residents to leave Belize City, saying it does not have shelters strong enough to withstand a storm of Dean's size.

At the southern tip of Texas, sandbags were distributed in the resort town of South Padre Island, and residents were urged to evacuate. The crew of the U.S. space shuttle Endeavour prepared to land a day early Tuesday because of the threat NASA had once feared Hurricane Dean would pose to Mission Control in Houston.

In Mexico during the past three days, officials put more than 50,000 people on flights leaving various parts of the Yucatan peninsula, the federal Communications and Transportation Department said in a statement. Cancun, well north of Dean's landfall, saw strong winds since the storm swirled over 75,000 square miles, about the size of Nebraska.

Cancun's tourist strip is still marked with cranes used to repair the damage from 2005's Hurricane Wilma, which caused $3 billion in losses. Dean is expected to be even stronger than Wilma, which stalled over Cancun and pummeled it for a day. Dean had a minimum central pressure of 906 millibars just before landfall, the third lowest at landfall after the 1935 Labor Day hurricane in the Florida Keys and Hurricane Gilbert, which hit Cancun in 1988.

“A very low pressure indicates a very strong storm,” said Hurricane Center meteorologist Rebecca Waddington.

The worst storm to hit Latin America in modern times was 1998's Hurricane Mitch, which killed nearly 11,000 people and left more than 8,000 missing, most in Honduras and Nicaragua.

Cited from signonsandiego.com

Unknown said...

16gb compact flash

Obviously no lesson is ever learned from past hurricanes. I desperately sorry for the people out there who do absolutely nothing and even home when they are told to call the tour companies waiting families feel.

NFL Jerseys said...

Why is tragedy everywhere, why the frequent natural disasters, life why it is so vulnerable, who can give the answer, I think no one, silence.

mac cosmetics said...

Once you explore your internal peace, you can work towards restoring world peace by playing a significant role in your family, locality or everywhere. Everybody wants to have more and more happy moments. But, an extremely happy event doses not last for longer and we’ll soon revert to our normal state. Therefore, we should ensure one thing that we don’t fall prey to illusions in the anticipation of happiness.

Tiffany jewelry said...

You will want to select a representative name for the reseller business that is indicative of what you do, and then you will want to register a similar domain name with a domain name provider.

MBT Shoes said...

Aug. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Hurricane Dean hit the Yucatan Peninsula this morning, packing winds of 168 miles (270 kilometers) an hour. The system weakened to 80 mph as it plowed through the Mexican jungle on its way to the Bay of Campeche.

Christian Louboutin said...

Belmopan, founded after 1961's Hurricane Hattie devastated Belize City. Mayor Zenaida Moya urged residents to leave Belize City, saying it does not have shelters strong enough to withstand a storm of Dean's size.

Tiffany Jewelry said...

What we're really worried about is the 50,000 people in the low-lying areas along the coast who've just ignored the government's evacuation orders,'' Pontecorvo said. ``The houses these people live in are badly constructed and can't withstand hurricane winds. We expect rebuilding efforts to be great

Ray Ban sunglasses said...

Hurricane Dean hit the Yucatan Peninsula this morning, ... The system weakened to 80 mph as it plowed through the Mexican jungle on its way to ... on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, with winds of more than 155 mph.

asics shoes said...

Thank you for sharing, you're right, you're just for me is very useful. I really like your post.

Gucci Outlet said...

I think your blog post was secretly a awesome beginning to a potential series of blog posts about this topic. So many people pretend to comprehend what they’re talking about when it comes to this topic and generally, very few people actually get it. You seem to grasp it though, so I think you ought to run with it. Thanks a lot!

Rosetta Stone said...

Hurricane Dean swept across the Yucatan peninsula Tuesday, toppling trees, power lines and houses as it bore down on the heart of Mexico's oil industry.

gucci handbags said...

Thank you for sharing, you're right, you're just for me is very useful. I really like your post.

Coach Outlet Online said...

Hurricane too terrible, make a lot of people affected by the disaster, if not, how beautiful the world

coach outlet said...

National Hurricane Center site providing detailed location and forecasting of tropical storms and hurricanes.

asics shoes outlet said...

Only three Category 5 storms, capable of catastrophic damage, have hit the U.S. since 1935. Dean is the first Category 5 to make landfall in the Atlantic region since Hurricane Andrew hit south Florida in 1992. Thousands of tourists fled the beaches of the Mayan Riviera. Though expected to escape a direct hit, Cancun still could face destructive winds.

MAC Cosmetics said...

Hurricane too terrible,It hurrt so many people .i hope that there is no hurricane in the world.

asics shoes sale said...

Hurricane damage on the beach at Akumal, photo by Lucy Gallagher Hurricane ...were likewise packed

coachonline2010 said...

Thanks a lot for sharing. You have done a brilliant job. Your article is truly relevant to my study at this moment, and I am really happy I discovered your website. However, I would like to see more details about this topic. I’m going to keep coming back here.

Ray Ban Sunglasses Sale said...

Hi! Very glad to be able to see your post, you said well, I agree, thank you, hope to see more of your articles, continue!

oakley outlet said...

I think that you must be awarded by some thesis service for your perfect topic close to this good topic. Not lots of people could compose the same quality dissertation methodology.

oakley outlet said...

It seems things are going well and looking good. I am sure this will go well. I am sure it will be a good one.