Hurricane Wilma Lingers Over Mexico

Forecasters say Hurricane Wilma could dump 10 to 20 inches of rain Saturday before it moves past Mexico’s Yucatan and Cuba on its way toward the Florida Keys.

CNN reports the storm hit Mexico as hard as Katrina hit Louisiana, bending trees and lampposts in Cancun, Playa del Carmen and the resort island of Cozumel, and creating an 11-foot storm surge.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami reports the center of the category 3 hurricane was barely moving with a gradual northwest drift.

At 5 a.m. EDT, the eye of the slow-moving storm was 25 miles southwest of Cancun and 430 miles southwest of Key West.

Cuba has evacuated 300,000 residents as officials expect it to hit the western part of the country. Mandatory evacuations began at 6 a.m. Saturday in the Florida Keys. Wilma is expected to hit Florida Monday with the winds and rain reaching land late Sunday.

Evacuations began Friday in other parts of the state.

Federal Emergency Management Agency acting director David Paulison said he will have situational awareness over the storm to ensure equipment and supplies to the affected communities.