Hurricane halts Mexico travel
Tour operators are holding back tourists from the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, which was hit by Hurricane Emily last week, until hotels reopen and damage is assessed.
Winds of 125mph swept across the popular holiday region on Monday, killing six and forcing the evacuation of 30,000 tourists in Cancun. Many had to camp in a local gymnasium for the night. Some tourists on the island of Cozumel also had to abandon their hotels.
The hurricane continued to the north-east coast and moved inland, travelling westwards. A hurricane warning remained in effect from La Cruz to the Texas border at the time of publication. Anyone due to travel to Mexico should contact their tour operator before travelling, and check foreign office advice on www.fco.gov.uk.
Some hotels in Playa del Carmen, Playa Car and Tulum, as well as Cancun, were damaged and tourists were being kept away. A spokeswoman from Virgin Holidays said: ‘Some of the six hotels we use were damaged. We are carrying out a full assessment but a couple will be taken off sale. We are holding back those due to travel to Mexico until at least 25 July and are allowing them to postpone holidays or take alternative trips of equivalent value anywhere in the world, subject to availability.’
More: observer.guardian.co.uk
Mexico's Fernanda grows into hurricane
Forecasters promoted Tropical Storm Fernanda to hurricane status early today, but it held little threat to land.
Fernanda was well out to sea in the Pacific and was moving to the west-northwest, away from the Baja California Peninsula. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said it had winds of about 75 mph.
A second disturbance trailing behind Fernanda was gaining force and forecasters said it could grow into a tropical storm. But it, too, held little danger to those ashore.
More: chron.com
Mexico halts all oil exports,most output, till Wed
Mexico's closure of most offshore oil production and ports mean the suspension of 2.95 million barrels per day (bpd) in output until midweek and the grounding of all exports, state oil monopoly Pemex said on Monday.
Pemex -- which normally produces 3.4 million bpd of crude -- said it would start restoring production on Wednesday and should be fully operational again on Friday, after shutting down most oil wells in the Campeche Sound, in the southern Gulf of Mexico, due to Hurricane Emily.
Pemex said port closures in the Gulf of Mexico meant it was
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 Travel Myth 1: Mexico Means Super Cheap Travel
Is Mexico cheaper than the US? It can be. Doing the resort thing in a Mexico resort like Cancun, for instance, can be as spendy as any high-end hot spot, but south of Cancun, super sweet Tulum is too cool and cheap ($25/day is doable). Acapulco will be $100 or more, and mostly well worth it if you want heart of the action and do the downtown scene in hotels on the Costera.
Learn about street food and more if budget Mexico travel is your plan. Dont expect to get by on
If you are not tied to the European or American summer for times when you are able to travel then the best time to go is between October and April, although there are slight regional variations. The rainy season works its way up from the south beginning in May and running through until August, September and even October. This is also hurricane season along the Caribbean. Although the last couple of years have produced the devastating storms of Hurricane Mitch and lesser-known Hurricane Keith, landfall is relatively rare. Don't be put off by the term 'rainy season'-in most places and
From the USA to Mexico City with a variety of airlines including American Airlines, AeroMexico, Delta, Continental, United, Northwest, Taesa and Americawest. Flights leave from Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Laredo, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, McAllen, Miami, Oakland, Ontario(CA), Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Antonio (TX), San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA) and Washington DC. From Canada, Japan Airlines fly from Vancouver, Canadian Airlines and Mexicana fly from Toronto and Meximna flies from Montreal.
Hurricane Wilma Scrubs Mexico's MTV Awards
Hurricane Wilma Forces MTV to Postpone Latin American Music Awards; New Date Not Set
The approach of Hurricane Wilma has forced MTV to postpone its Latin American music video awards ceremony, which had been scheduled for Mexico's Playa del Carmen resort.
Dulce Gordillo, MTV's Mexico spokeswoman, confirmed the postponement and said a new date for the show hadn't been set.
The cable network had shifted the program from Thursday to Wednesday to avoid the hurricane, which was forecast to pass close by Mexico's Caribbean coast Friday.
More: abcnews.go.com
Hurricane John Threatens Pacific Coast of Mexico
Hurricane John churned northwest, lashing Mexicos Pacific coast with winds and rain, as the government prepared to provide shelter, food and other help for as many as 800,000 people.
The hurricane was downgraded to a Category 2 storm on the five-tier Saffir-Simpson intensity scale after a U.S. Air Force reconnaissance plane known as a hurricane hunter investigated it earlier today. The downgrade means its no longer classified as a major hurricane, though it has sustained winds of about 105 miles (165 kilometers) per hour.
The storm was headed northwest at about 13 mph,
Hurricane Wilma heads for Gulf of Mexico
Hurricane Wilma strengthened in the Caribbean Tuesday and headed toward the Gulf of Mexico, where it seemed likely to spare battered U.S. oil and gas fields but threatened storm-weary Florida.
The rapidly intensifying storm also menaced Honduras and Nicaragua with up to 10 inches of rain, compounding the woes of Central America. More than 1,000 people in Guatemala and El Salvador were killed by landslides and floods triggered by Hurricane Stan this month.
Wilma was expected to strengthen into a major hurricane with winds of more than 110 mph by Thursday and its likely
Actor Mel Gibson donates U.S.$1 million to Mexico's hurricane relief
Actor Mel Gibson, sporting a long beard and no socks, met with Mexican President Vicente Fox on Wednesday and donated US$1 million to help Mexico recover from Hurricane Stan.
Fox's office said Gibson asked to meet with Fox because he wanted to help after Hurricane Stan hit the Gulf state of Veracruz, where the actor is filming a movie.
The hurricane and related storms left more than 1,500 dead or missing in Central America and Mexico. Another storm, Hurricane Wilma, was expected to come close to hitting Mexico's Yucatan peninsula late
