The people of Jamaica are preparing for a direct hit from Hurricane Dean today. Authorities have warned people to take cover and have converted churches, schools and sports centers into shelters in advance of the expected 240 km/h winds. The electric company will shut off power to the island at 10 am local time. This could be a devastating storm for the island as Dean approaches at a category 4.

You can listen live to radio stations in Jamaica at the following sites, though I have had some trouble loading them, you can give them a try.

http://www.go-jamaica.com/power/

http://www.rjr94fm.com/

http://www.megajamz.com/

Our thoughts are with the people of Jamaica. We are fairly relaxed this morning in our house. We know that Hurricane Dean’s trajectory will be affected by crossing over Jamaica, we are hoping that he gets sent out to sea, though it doesn’t seem likely. At the moment it appears that the southern part of Quintana Roo near Tulum will be more strongly affected than Cancun, but I am not going to count on that yet. We are still preparing for Dean’s arrival, direct hit or just a brush, we are sure to get a lot of wind and rain.

posted by CancunCanuck