Dean Likely To Return To Mexico
Many Republicans, including Congressman Mike Rogers, have their doubts about arming the Syrian opposition. / CBS News
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. Glitzy resorts on the Mayan Riviera were spared, but vulnerable Mayan villages were exposed to the full fury of one of history's most intense storms.
President Felipe Calderon said no deaths were immediately reported in Mexico, after Dean killed 13 people in the Caribbean. But driving rain, poor communications and impassable roads made it difficult to determine how isolated Mayan communities fared in the sparsely populated jungle where Dean made landfall as a ferocious Category 5 hurricane.
Dean is the most powerful Atlantic hurricane to hit land in two decades, reports CBS News correspondent Bianca Solorzano .
Dean weakened over land but is expected to strengthen as its eye moved over the Bay of Campeche, home to more than 100 oil platforms and three major oil exporting ports. The sprawling, westward storm was projected to slam into the mainland at about 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, with renewed force near Laguna Verde, Mexico's only nuclear power plant.
"We often see that when a storm weakens, people let down their guard completely. You shouldn't do that," said Jamie Rhome at the U.S. National Hurricane Center. "This storm probably won't become a Category 5 again, but it will still be powerful."
At 5 p.m. EDT, Dean had winds of 80 mph and was centered about 60 miles west-southwest of Campeche. The storm was moving west at 20 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
For all its power, Dean's path was fortunate, taking it across one of the most sparsely populated sections of the coastline—near the cruise ship port of Costa Maya, which had largely been evacuated, reports Solorzano.
While 50,000 tourists were safely evacuated from resorts on the Yucatan peninsula, many poor Indians closer to the storm's direct path refused military orders to leave their homes, according to Gen. Alfonso Garcia, who was running shelters in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, 30 miles north of the eye's path.
Troops evacuated more than 250 small communities, and 8,000 people took refuge in 500 shelters, said Jorge Acevedo, a Quintana Roo state spokesman. Others turned away soldiers with machetes and refused to leave, but some of them changed their minds when the winds and rain intensified, he said.
Little was known about the thousands who rode out the storm in low-lying communities of stick huts or the handful who hid from soldiers evacuating smaller resorts like Majahual, where Dean made landfall with 165 mph winds and gusts of 200 mph — faster than the takeoff speed of many passenger jets.
"I'm really worried the hurricane passed over the Mayan communities, which are the poorest on the Yucatan peninsula," Calderon said before leaving Canada on a flight to Chetumal.
Mexican officials said they are making slow progress on nearly impassable, unpaved roads to reach the most likely hardest hit places. In less isolated towns, people emerged to survey toppled trees and downed power lines crisscrossing flooded streets.
"If only the government would lend us a hand," said Georgina Hernandez, 59, whose three children all lost their homes in the town of Los Limones.
Dean's path takes it directly through the Cantarell oil field, Mexico's most productive. The entire field's operations were shut down just ahead of the storm, reducing daily production by 2.7 million barrels of oil and 2.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas.
Insured losses from the storm are likely to range between $750 million and $1.5 billion, according to Risk Management Solutions, which calculates hurricane damage for the insurance industry. Most of that was in Jamaica, which Tuesday postponed its Aug. 27 general elections, in order to take time to survey the damage.
Mexico's insured losses won't exceed $400 million, predicted AIR Worldwide, another insurance consulting company.
© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. President Felipe Calderon said no deaths were immediately reported in Mexico, after Dean killed 13 people in the Caribbean. But driving rain, poor communications and impassable roads made it difficult to determine how isolated Mayan communities fared in the sparsely populated jungle where Dean made landfall as a ferocious Category 5 hurricane.
Dean is the most powerful Atlantic hurricane to hit land in two decades, reports CBS News correspondent Bianca Solorzano .
Dean weakened over land but is expected to strengthen as its eye moved over the Bay of Campeche, home to more than 100 oil platforms and three major oil exporting ports. The sprawling, westward storm was projected to slam into the mainland at about 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, with renewed force near Laguna Verde, Mexico's only nuclear power plant.
"We often see that when a storm weakens, people let down their guard completely. You shouldn't do that," said Jamie Rhome at the U.S. National Hurricane Center. "This storm probably won't become a Category 5 again, but it will still be powerful."
At 5 p.m. EDT, Dean had winds of 80 mph and was centered about 60 miles west-southwest of Campeche. The storm was moving west at 20 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
For all its power, Dean's path was fortunate, taking it across one of the most sparsely populated sections of the coastline—near the cruise ship port of Costa Maya, which had largely been evacuated, reports Solorzano.
While 50,000 tourists were safely evacuated from resorts on the Yucatan peninsula, many poor Indians closer to the storm's direct path refused military orders to leave their homes, according to Gen. Alfonso Garcia, who was running shelters in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, 30 miles north of the eye's path.
Troops evacuated more than 250 small communities, and 8,000 people took refuge in 500 shelters, said Jorge Acevedo, a Quintana Roo state spokesman. Others turned away soldiers with machetes and refused to leave, but some of them changed their minds when the winds and rain intensified, he said.
Little was known about the thousands who rode out the storm in low-lying communities of stick huts or the handful who hid from soldiers evacuating smaller resorts like Majahual, where Dean made landfall with 165 mph winds and gusts of 200 mph — faster than the takeoff speed of many passenger jets.
"I'm really worried the hurricane passed over the Mayan communities, which are the poorest on the Yucatan peninsula," Calderon said before leaving Canada on a flight to Chetumal.
Mexican officials said they are making slow progress on nearly impassable, unpaved roads to reach the most likely hardest hit places. In less isolated towns, people emerged to survey toppled trees and downed power lines crisscrossing flooded streets.
"If only the government would lend us a hand," said Georgina Hernandez, 59, whose three children all lost their homes in the town of Los Limones.
Dean's path takes it directly through the Cantarell oil field, Mexico's most productive. The entire field's operations were shut down just ahead of the storm, reducing daily production by 2.7 million barrels of oil and 2.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas.
Insured losses from the storm are likely to range between $750 million and $1.5 billion, according to Risk Management Solutions, which calculates hurricane damage for the insurance industry. Most of that was in Jamaica, which Tuesday postponed its Aug. 27 general elections, in order to take time to survey the damage.
Mexico's insured losses won't exceed $400 million, predicted AIR Worldwide, another insurance consulting company.
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Hopefully they are talking about that Zionsit sock puppet traitor SOB Howard Dean!
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There ya go...that''s more like it. For a minute there I thought you were going to let the opportunity of fear-mongering of gas prices higher get away from you.
No other hurricane season in recorded history has caused as much damage as 2005 and bankrupt as many people.
Two years ago we took a Norwegian Lines Cruise that stopped at that new port at Majahual. They call it Costa Maya, and the locals were so proud and happy that they were the new port for cruise ships. Lots of building was going on and they were very excited about the future.
I wonder what''s left of the place...
...
OPEC sets crude prices, not the price at the pump. Big Oil will blame a reduced capacity to refine crude to gasoline thus reducing supply, driving demand and driving prices higher. Problem is they jump the gun and raise prices in anticipation and are slow to lower them when the event passes. They laugh all the way to the bank.