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Cayman Islands escape major damage
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 20 - 08 - 2007


Hurricane Dean skirted
the Cayman Islands on Monday and raced toward Mexico's
resort-dotted Caribbean coast, where tens of thousands of
tourists fled what could become a mammoth Category 5 storm, AP reported.
The airport at Mexico's biggest resort, Cancun, was packed
with departing tourists on Monday and the usually crowded
hotel strip was nearly empty. Mexico's state oil company
said Monday it was evacuating all 18,000 workers from rigs
in the southern Gulf of Mexico, in the storm's path. Dean
is cutting a wide swath, with tropical-storm strength winds
covering an area of 75,000 square miles (195,000 square
kilometers) _ roughly the size of South Dakota.
But there was relief in the Cayman Islands. The government
announced the territory «has been spared the brunt of
Hurricane Dean.»
Hours earlier, it looked like disaster was descending on
the islands as the Category 4 storm with winds of 150 mph
(240 kph) _ bore down late Sunday after battering Jamaica.
«Whichever God you believe in, now is the time to bow
your head and pray to him,» evacuation shelter coordinator
Zemrie Thompson told 100 people camped for safety Sunday
night at John Gray High School.
Dean's eye passed some 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of
the Cayman Islands and the government said the strongest
gusts here were measured at 57 mph (92 kph). The storm has
killed at least 10 people as it has moved across the
Caribbean.
The most recent deaths occurred in Jamaica on Sunday. One
man was killed when his house collapsed and another was
struck by flying debris, police said.
The storm could reach the highest level, Category 5, with
maximum winds greater than 155 mph (249 kph) later Monday,
the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Stuart Jack, governor of the British territory, said
Cayman Islands authorities had evacuated all but 1,500
tourists and set up 19 storm shelters that housed some
2,200 people.
Jamaica avoided a direct hit when the storm passed to the
south Sunday night. There were no deaths reported in
Jamaica, but the storm uprooted trees, flooded roads and
tore the roofs off many homes, businesses and a prison
block. No prisoners escaped.
Several communities in the eastern coastal parish of St.
Thomas suffered «extensive damage» including collapsed
buildings, according to a preliminary damage report. Downed
utility poles severed communications with St. Thomas and
left thousands across the island without power.
Police said officers got into a shootout with looters at a
shopping center in the central parish of Clarendon, but
nobody was hurt. Curfews were in effect until Monday
evening.
Authorities also cut power on the island to prevent damage
to the power grid, leaving more than 125,000 customers
without power.
At 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT), Dean was centered about 330
miles (530 kilometers) east of Belize City.
Many tourists who did not get flights out of Jamaica took
shelter at places like Sandals Whitehouse, a resort that
has buildings capable of withstanding a powerful storm.
Trinice Tyler, a postal worker from Lake Elsinore,
California, said she would weather the storm there «on my
knees praying.»
«I'm celebrating my 40th birthday today, and it's going
to be a birthday to remember,» she said.
Fishermen hauled their skiffs inland and cruise ships
changed their course to avoid the storm on Sunday.
The National Hurricane Center said the first hurricane of
the Atlantic season was projected to have sustained winds
of 160 mph (260 kph) before plowing into Mexico's Yucatan
peninsula on Tuesday. The Mexican mainland or Texas could
be hit later.
There was also a hurricane warning in effect for Belize's
coast.
Among those fleeing Cancun was Florida Volynskaya, 24, of
Baltimore, Maryland, who camped out on the airport
terminal's floor awaiting a flight.
«We just wanted to get out anywhere,» she said. «We
really didn't want to be in a shelter.»
Twelve empty planes arrived Sunday to move travelers out,
said airport spokesman Eduardo Rivadeneira. The state
government also set up 530 shelters with a capacity of
73,000 people.
The hurricane created massive waves and surges up to 20
feet (6 meters) high as it passed the Dominican Republic on
Saturday, flooding roads and drowning a boy. At least two
people were killed and about 150 homes were destroyed in
Haiti, emergency officials said.


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