Hurricane Dean Could Have Hit Jamaica Worse

It will be bad enough. Here's what some locals are saying:

Writing from liguanea area. Winds not as bad as Ivan. Lots of trees down but
considering dean is just 50 miles south things are not as bad as we expected.
Hoping this is it.

Corinne

Looks like the worst is past Kingston now so praying for the rest of the island in Dean's path!!!

Hurricane DEAN Public Advisory

One Love,

Tracy

Well, that's just anecdotal. We'll see how it ends up tomorrow. But the worst is over. There will be terrible damage. A gazillion trees down, roofs, holes and lots and lots of rainwater, flooding, mudslides and general misery.

As the storm tracks south, it looks like the middle Yucatan Peninsula will be blasted full-force and that the storm will head to the center of Mexico, but the Sci Guy Eric Berger says that's a good thing:

If there's a bright spot today it's that Dean's landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula has also been moving south, just north of El Placer, Mexico. This is better than further north (which would batter the resorts of Cancun and Cozumel) and further south (affecting Belize City). The area in Quintana Roo around El Placer is relatively unpopulated.

Let's continue to pray that that's exactly what happens.