Hurricane Emily wreaks havoc in Mexico and Caribbean
Hurricane Emily is slamming into the northeastern coast of Mexico at this hour, with sustained winds at 125 mph. The eye is passing over the southern end of Laguna Madre, whipping seas and soaking inland areas as far north as South Texas. The main impacts will be felt across Mexico, with water level rise up to 12 feet at the coast and strong winds and heavy rain inland. The flood threat will increase as the hurricane moves inland.
“So far, the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season has been very active,” said Jed Hoffman, CRS Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. “Emily and Dennis have been particularly damaging to México, Grenada, Jamaica, Cuba and HaitÃ, but CRS has been on hand working with our local partners to assess the damage and distribute emergency relief materials.”
Hurricane Emily began July 10 as a tropical depression far out in the Atlantic Ocean. By Thursday, when it crossed into the Caribbean, the storm was a full-fledged hurricane, blamed for one death in Grenada. As it moved west, Emily picked up strength dramatically. At least two people were killed in Jamaica as the storm passed by the island to the south.
Residents of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula cleaned up downed trees and other debris Monday after they were pelted overnight by Emily’s fury. Early Monday, the hurricane blasted ashore in the beach resort areas of Quintana Roo state with 135 mph winds, then weakened considerably as it moved across the Yucatan Peninsula and into the Gulf of México. Fisheries and farms were destroyed and thousands of power lines damaged. Local newspapers are reporting three deaths and 7,000 homes either damaged or destroyed. CRS will be working closely with its local partner, Caritas Mexicana, in the post-hurricane rehabilitation and reconstruction phase.
More: reliefweb.int
Mexico warns tourists in Cancun of threat from Hurricane Emily
Mexican officials issued a hurricane warning Saturday for much of the eastern Yucatan peninsula, including the resort of Cancun, as Hurricane Emily barreled across the Caribbean south of Jamaica.
Authorities already were recommending tourists leave much of Mexico's Caribbean coast as a precaution.
While evacuation had not yet been ordered, the Cancun city government met with local bus companies to arrange transportation for tourists away from the low-lying spit of land that houses much of Cancun's hotel sector, which lies almost directly in the catagory 4 hurricane's path.
Mexico issued a hurricane
Hurricane Emily may hit eastern Mexico
authorities warned Thursday the inhabitants of Yucatan Peninsula, east of the country, about the possibility that hurricane Emily hits the area on Sunday.
The National Meteorological Service (SMN) said in a statement that Emily is in the Caribbean, 2,700 km off the Mexican littoral.
The hurricane has sustained gusts of wind of 160 km per hour, even reaching 185, with the possibility of further increasing.
The Civil Protection authorities told the inhabitants of the states of Quintana Roo, Campeche and Yucatan to
Mexico plans evacuation of tourists from Cancun as hurricane Emily advances
Mexican officials recommended Friday evacuating tourists from much of the country's Caribbean coast - including the resort of Cancun - if hurricane Emily continues heading toward the Yucatan peninsula.
While no evacuation has yet been ordered, the Cancun city government is already meeting with local bus companies to arrange transport for tourists away from the low-lying spit of land that houses much of Cancun's hotel sector.
The Interior Department recommended evacuating the Caribbean coast from Tulum to an area north of Cancun, and urged people to take refuge at
Mexico reports death from Emily
After enduring four days of battering from Hurricane Emily, Mexican authorities on Friday reported the first death from a storm that destroyed thousands of buildings and drove 90,000 people from their homes.
The report of a woman swept away by floodwaters in the northern city of San Pedro Garza Garcia came just as President Vicente Fox toured the devastation caused by the hurricane, whose winds began raking the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula on Sunday.
The evacuation of tens of thousands of people in the Yucatan area and along Mexico's northern Gulf coast helped avoid
Hurricane Emily Weakens Slightly, On Course for Mexico
Weather Forecasters say Hurricane Emily has weakened slightly but may strengthen again Tuesday as it spins towards towards Mexico.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Emily's winds are near 150 kilometers an hour with higher gusts, making it a category one storm. It is moving west-northwest at about 24 kilometers per hour.
Forcasters predict the storm's center will be near Mexico's northeast coast by late Tuesday.
Emily battered beach resorts in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula Monday knocking out power lines, downing trees and causing tens of thousands to flee. Officials say Cozumel, a popular diving destination, was
Tourists fleeing Yucatan ahead of hurricane
Long lines of people choked the Cancun airport as tourists rushed to leave this Caribbean resort ahead of Hurricane Emily, which packed 155 mph winds as it streaked toward Mexico.
Mexican officials issued a hurricane warning today for much of the eastern Yucatan peninsula, including the resort of Cancun, and authorities were recommending tourists abandon much of Mexico's Caribbean coast as a precaution.
Sunny skies and a laid-back atmosphere still prevailed at the resort, despite the approaching Category 4 hurricane.
"The locals seem pretty nonchalant about it," said Becky Hart, 29, a school teacher from Madera, Calif.,
Canadians say tour operators in Mexico let them down
Weary Canadian tourists returning home from Mexico say the weather was bad thanks to hurricane Emily, but the lack of help from their tour operators was even worse.
"It was horrible. It was scary," Gracia Agostinho told CBC News in Montreal on Tuesday as she and her family returned home.
"It was the longest night of my life," she said, describing how her family huddled in a hotel bathroom while
Hurricane Emily roared by.
More: cbc.ca
Mexico Fears Flooding From Hurricane Emily
Hurricane Emily swept ashore Wednesday and weakened, but it still threatened to unleash flash floods and landslides in the mountains after pounding the coast with 125 mph winds and forcing thousands along the Gulf of Mexico to flee.
The eye of the week-old hurricane came ashore before dawn near San Fernando, about 75 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border. Emily's winds and torrential rains knocked out power, shredded metal roofs and shattered plate-glass windows.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. Thousands of residents and tourists had been ordered to evacuate homes and
Hurricane bashes Mexico resorts, heads for US border
Hurricane Emily slammed into the Yucatan Peninsula on Monday, smashing hotels and homes in the main resort areas and halting all of Mexico's oil exports before heading back to sea for a new strike toward the U.S. border.
Tens of thousands of locals and tourists along the popular "Maya Riviera" coastline of white beaches and blue-green seas rode out winds of 135 mph (215 kph) and torrential rain in makeshift shelters.
Several people died in Mexico in incidents indirectly caused by the powerful storm, which killed at least four in Jamaica.
Emergency workers in Tamaulipas state
Hurricane Emily Aims at Mexico Coastline
Hurricane Emily swirled across the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday and took aim once again at the Mexican coastline, forcing thousands in the northeast and in southern Texas to seek higher ground.
The storm was gathering strength as it barreled toward the coast, a day after ripping roofs off resort hotels and stranding thousands of tourists along the Mayan Riviera, which includes the resort of Cancun.
Winds and rains were expected to begin lashing land again later Tuesday, and the eye of the storm was likely to come ashore near the fishing village of La
