Dean continues to head on its course of destruction

Hurricane Dean continued its trail of destruction after battering the eastern Caribbean the storm bore down on Jamaica and the Cayman Islands and threatens to hit the Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula as a category 5 hurricane, the most severe.

In Jamacia residents snapped up emergency supplies and began fortifying buildings against the on-coming storm, others headed for the airports. Meanwhile the government has urged residents to flee low-lying areas as buses were marshaled to transport evacuees and emergency services placed on high alert. Dean is due to hit Jamacia some time on Sunday.

Computer models show Dean, after leaving Martinique and Santo Domingo, heading for Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula early in the week before arriving on the coast of northern Mexico. Dean’s violent centre looks set to miss Haiti but there are fears that storm could trigger flash floods and mudslides. Meanwhile US President George W Bush issued an emergency declaration for the state of Texas to free up federal help and funds.

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