Dean Next Stop is Mexico’s Yucatan

Hurricane Dean left from Jamaica Monday and headed toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula leaving a trail of destruction.

Jamaican authorities reported collapsed buildings, downed power lines and heavy flooding as Dean moved from the island and prepared for a far more ferocious attack, The Miami Herald reported.

There were no reports of deaths or serious injuries from Dean sweeping over Jamaica. Roads in many of Jamaica’s parishes were impassable, including the one that connects the Kingston to its airport.

Parts of Mexico were placed under hurricane warnings as Dean took aim at the Yucatan Peninsula. Forecasters said Dean would likely turn into a Category 5 hurricane before it reached the Yucatan late Monday or early Tuesday.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the Category 4 storm was moving westward at about 21 miles per hour. Dean’s sustained winds were howling at nearly 150 miles per hour Monday. Hurricane force winds extended 60 miles.

Much of Mexico’s Gulf Coast was under tropical storm warnings while the government of Belize extended its hurricane warning south to the Guatemala border.

Tropical storm warnings remained in effect in Jamaica after the brunt of the hurricane passed the island.