According to the National Weather Service, Hurricane Dean made landfall late yesterday morning as a Category 5 storm on the southern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. ReAdvisory released a report stating that the hurricane hit 40 miles northeast of Chetumal, Mexico, which has a population of more than 125,000.

The Texas Office of the Governor reports that full-scale hurricane preparedness efforts have been made, including the activation of rescue teams and other state resources, should the storm take an unexpected turn. Governor Perry ordered that the State Operations Center be activated, which will hold conference calls twice daily with local officials, mass care providers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the National Weather Service to evaluate weather projections in order to respond accordingly. The center will also be taking calls from first responders, including claim adjusters.

ReAdvisory's Senior Vice President Dr. Steve Smith predicted that Hurricane Dean would weaken significantly over the Yucatan before emerging into the Bay of Campeche, and would probably re-strengthen to a Category 1 or 2 hurricane before making a final landfall along Mexico's Veracruz coast. A ReAdvisory report stated that damage caused by Dean in the Chetumal area is likely to be extensive and catastrophic.

Smith also said that, despite its strength, Hurricane Dean is not likely to pose a threat to the U.S. coast, but said there was a chance that the Brownsville, Texas area could be peripherally impacted if the hurricane hits high enough up the Texas coastline.

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Special Reports /

Hurricane Dean Hits Mexico

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