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Hurricane Dean Lands in Mexico, Tourists React

After gaining plenty of strength last night, Hurricane Dean made landfall on Mexico's Yucatan coast Tuesday morning as a beast of a Category 5 storm. Dean's eye came ashore around 4:30 a.m. just north of Chetumal, the capital of Quintana Roo. Winds were over 165 mph, and Dean, which is reportedly a storm the size of Texas, will affect the entire Yucatan peninsula.

Tourists, who mostly inhabit Cancun and Cozumel, which are well north of the eye, were frantically trying to get seats on the last planes out before the storm last night. Reportedly. Of the 20,000 tourists in Quintana Roo, about 13,000 had been evacuated.

The above photo of a Cancun beach near the Oasis Cancun Hotel was taken yesterday and shows a definite calm before the storm. Tourists seem to be trying to milk every last second of beach time even as the hotel they are staying in boards up the resort windows and a Cat 5 storm lurks less than 24 hours away.

Stuck in Cancun? Let us know what the scene is like.

Related Stories:
· Hurricane Dean's Path to the Yucatan Peninsula [Jaunted]
· Hurricane Dean Travel Report [Jaunted]
· Cancun Hotels [HotelChatter]

[Photo: brits in cancun]

Tags: Travel Delays / Caribbean Travel / Hurricanes / Travel Storms / → All Tags

Hurricane Dean's Path To The Yucatán Peninsula

Playa del Carmen is empty and the Cancún airport is full of tourists trying to jet back home, many are trying to get aboard the "ferry" flights designated for evacuation. After two or more days of waiting, plenty of people are still camping out on the airport floor, despite what Barger says. Still, by the time Dean reaches the Yucatan tomorrow morning more than 50,000 tourists will have been evacuated -- not bad.

What to do if you are in Mexico or going to Mexico in the next couple of days? Be patient and flexible. Most airlines will issue you credit in a situation like this, as will most hotels, but be sure to read the fine print.

Back of the envelope travel guide to Hurricane Dean:

· Tourists Flee Cancun [TheAge]
· What Travelers Need To Know About Hurricane Dean [Elliott]
· Yucatán Peninsula, battening down for hurricane Dean [CSMonitor]
· Hurricane Dean Tracker [Weather.com]
· Hurricane Dean [National Hurricane Center]
· Cancun Hotels [HotelChatter]

[Photo: Eduardo Verdugo/AP]

Tags: Travel Delays / Caribbean Travel / Hurricanes / Travel Storms / → All Tags

Hurricane Dean Travel Report

Hurricane Dean and its 150 mile-per-hour winds are currently heading for Mexico's Yucatan after battering Jamaica this weekend. Dean swept through Jamaica yesterday, knocking out power, ripping off roofs, and flooding many streets. However, throughout the ordeal Flickr photographer Robert Birkenes was able to take plenty of shots, including the one above, which some have guessed is a shot of Jamaica's Prime Minister checking out hurricane damage. Throughout the storm, Robert's internet connection apparently held up, for the most part, which is truly amazing.

This past weekend the storm brushed past the eastern and southern areas of the region including Martinique, St. Kitts and St. Lucia on Friday and headed straight for Jamaica and the Cayman Islands yesterday. Dean's landfall in Cancun and the Yucatan Peninsula is expected today.

Both airports on Jamaica were closed, with Air Jamaica cancelling all flights and rearranging travel plans for tourists. Major tour operators like Funjet and Apple Vacations let customers rebook trips to affected and threatened destinations at no extra charge. Other airlines such as Delta and Northwest waived change penalties and added extra flights to get tourists out of Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cancun. Cruises already en route to the area changed course to avoid the storm and headed to further eastern ports of call. If you are headed to the area this week or had travel plans, contact your airline or travel provider directly before making any moves of course!.

Related Stories:
· Air travel, cruises altered to avoid Dean [USA Today]

[Photo: Robert Birkenes]