Hurricane Dean is projected to hit Cancun?

Question

I'm in Cancun enjoying my vacation but i'm kind of anxious about this hurricane Dean expected to arrive at sunday night with category 4 strength. but how come these mexican people are not evacuating or anything? am i going to die here?

Answer 1

You won't die. Tourists are always well taken care of and "these mexican people" will send you to a shelter if you choose not to leave beforehand. The hurricane will not come inland until perhaps Monday evening. You should contact your consulate in Cancun and also your airline to advise them that you are very anxious. I'm sure they are making preparations.

Answer 2

There are only two possibilities. a) It will not hit Cancun directly and b) it will on Tuesday as a category 5.

If you wait for the next 3 days to find out - you will be very stressed out considering that this will be the topic of everyone's conversations, everywhere you go "to relax".  You will not be evacuated until at least 24 hours before it hits. "These Mexican people" are very, very experienced with hurricanes and will assist to incredible levels all foreign citizens.  But you will not see any significant activity until late Sunday, when locals also rush to board their windows, buy more water, food and batteries.  Buses and flights will be sold out when most tourists will simply fly home before the airport is closed.  Seats will be scarce since many flights will be canceled or rerouted.  So if you want to go home, drive to the airport NOW!  If you stay and wait it out, you will not enjoy your vacation at all, whether Hurricane Dean hits Cancun directly or not.  It will still rain a lot and will be gusty and overcast at best.  

Now, if it hits Cancun - it will be pretty bad!  Unlike the movies you seen where you know the calm follows the storm and there's a happy end, you will not see any of that.  No matter how many times the locals have prepared for the storms and what follows - you will see a lot of impatient, frustrated tourists wanting to still be catered to while there won't be electricity, water, drivable roads and will be competing with you at the airport bullying their way to get to the first flight home.  This of course, after waiting at least 5 days for the airport to re-open.  I know this personally - I have been in Cancun during and after Gilbert-Category 5 hurricane devastated this beautiful resort.

Answer 3

Don't listen to people who say don't leave, don't listen to them, landfall is predicted for late Monday in to Tuesday morning, but airports would be shut down well before that.  

Get out as soon as possible.  With winds over 150 mph, you just can't tell what could happen even if you are in a shelter.  Also some shelters will fill up quickly.  

Wouldn't you rather be safe at home instead of in a crowded shelter in a foreign country hearing 150 mph+ winds howling outside.  I am not trying to scare you I am just saying it would be foolish to stay.

Answer 4

cancun gets hit all the time tyhe locals know this. bad time to go into hurrican territory....its hurricane season...

Answer 5

are you kidding me?  they would put your life berore theirs..

tourist are so important in mexico , that they will help you in anything, and they are not   evacuting , because they all stay .  the only area to evacute is the hotel zone.

homes in mexico are built so strong , they use real heavy duty material,  also  big hurricans only touch every 10 years... mostly they dissapeard.

i lived in cancun for over 10 years, and nothing happens there..

so , do not be scare , the mexican people that lives dowm there , are the kind ones , the ones that they would help you,, without your paying...

so , if you need help contact  customer services,, they are so use to this matters , that they will help you....in anything...

and also.. what's with the mexican people???

I strongly think that mexicans  are more prepared , and they have better constructions that the USA... and  i am not talking about the resorts, i am talking about the  town,,  and if you see all those homes small or big , it's theirs ,, not morgage , no crazy banks.. so they want their propetie to last .

Also their selthers were made so strong , that you should not worried, take it as a lesson, and just relax, if this huracan happens , that i do not think so , you will have a memorie to remember.

Answer 6

If you haven't left for Cancun yet , DONT !!!!  The hurricane is bearing down on Cancun. Believe me you don't want to be there . You would be insane going down there. If you have already gone. This is a cat. 5 hurricane, winds 161mph- gust to 196mph.    My God be with you.

Answer 7

You are not going to die - the storm is moving at 23 mph. At that rate you will have plenty of time to get out of Dean's way if it does end up heading towards Cancun. Nobody is going to make a move until they know for certain what the path is.

In a couple of days if it looks like it is going to hit Cancun then your tour company will either fly you home or move you inland away from the Hurricane. These things don't move fast, don't worry you've still got a couple of days at least. At it's current speed and if it doesn't change course you are looking at landfall early Monday evening.

Here's a site you can use to track the hurricane's progress:

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tra...

BTW, Cancun does not get hit all the time, unless you consider all the time to be once every 2-5 years.

Answer 8

I am so disappointed because we are schedule to fly out there on Thursday morning and now we don't know if we should just reschedule our vacation  or take a risk.

So tell me what are they suggesting for future tourist>

Answer 9

I am suposed to be there for Labor Day weekend but may cancel if it hits hard since they will need time to recover.

After Katrina, all I can say is if by Sunday it looks like it hasn't shifted, GET OUT OF THERE!

Make the arrangement now, you can always cancel your seat if it shifts but once they assign the last seat and the last plane is gone and it has not, you will have to start preparing for the worst.

Answer 10

I was supposed to arrive on Tuesday, but Dean has changed my plans.  I agree, the locals have experience with Hurricanes, construct homes out of concrete and iron to withstand more than an American home would, but most are probably not financially able to evacuate to very far away.  In a time of crisis the people of Cancun will, for sure, be more kind, compassionate and helpful that you can imagine.  It's the other American tourists I would not want to be stuck with in a shelter, having to listening to them complain about this and that.  Bottom line? Unless it's your calling to spend your vacation as a rescue worker,  I think It's best to stay safe at home and give the people of Cancun one less person to have to take care of.  All hotel and excursion companies should be willing to refund anyone travelling this week, even without travel insurance. It's the US airline companies that are more difficult to get a refund from. Without travel insurance they will only give you your money back if the your flight is actually canceled, which I'm crossing my fingers that my Tues. Afternoon flight from Houston will be.  Otherwise they just give you credit towards another flight.  FYI: All the flights to Jamaica today (Sun) were canceled due to airport closure. So far Cancun internation is still open.

Answer 11

. I have just returned from cancun on sunday night.  by the time we arrived , most  flights in/out cancun on Monday are cancelled.  I understand the airlines hope  to fly empty aircraft there early tomorrow in order to get as many passengers out as possible.  If you intend to attempt to get out....I would be the first passenger at the airport in the AM...waiting for the ticket counter to open.  The airlines will not allow their aircraft to sit at the airport to face hurricane damage, so they will get all their planes out well before the storm.  As a side note,  almost 50 passengers on our flight this morning....!  Captain made an announcement with the most up-to-date weather report and it was not looking good for cancun.....only a few passengers got off the plane... when we landed in Cun the gate agents could not believe there  actually were passengers on the aircraft ....going to cancun!

Answer 12

Relax, enjoy your vacation. My girlfriend likes ice cream. Party on!

Answer 13

My mom is in Cancun now. H. Dean is expected to impact late mon. early tues. My flight is scheduled to depart 8/22 WED. I just received an e-mail from my travel agent stating my flight may be cancelled

Answer 14

I live in Cancun and a I can say that You have to wait because this this of hurricanes are very erratic, therefore we are in blue alert.

check this site:

www.noaa.gov

we will not have certain information till Friday or Saturday, if Dean hit Cancun it would be until Tuesday, so you can have plenty of time to make up your mind and Know what to do.

Don't panic and get informed

Answer 15

yeah it's coming straight toward there!!! You really should leave...it's already a category 4 hurricane and the projected path is to directly hit Cancun and the surrounding areas. The Mexicans are probably not leaving cuz they probably can't afford to leave.

Answer 16

No, you are not going to die.  I was there in 2005 when Wilma hit.  Although conditions were pretty bad, the people there are used to handling these situations.  As far as news reports I have watched...Jamaica should slow the hurricane due to the contact with mountains, so it shouldn't be too bad.  My advice...take the next two or three days and have a good time.  Most likely, unless it is still a category 4 or 5 when it hits..you will stay at the hotel in your room.  If they evacuate, it will be a mile or two inland, and you will be taken care of.  I am going back in Oct. and I can't wait.

Answer 17

If I were you...I'd worry more if I was in LOUISIANA!  I think "these mexican people" are better prepared than some/most people here in the U.S.  Hurricanes are nothing new to the Yucatan/Riviera Mayan people.  I was in Cancun soon after their last BIG hurricane and I was impressed at how quickly the place was cleaned-up.  Not a trace that a major hurricane had hit.  From what I've read...tourist visiting Cancun during a hurricane are well taken care of.  Don't worry, if the hurricane hits, I'm sure that you will be placed in a safe place, so try not to stress, ok.  If you are super scared...I say TAKE THE NEXT FLIGHT BACK HOME (I would).  Stay safe!

*****

josiahj91:  When the big hurricane hit Louisiana...did those people leave?  THIS IS THE U.S., where was their MONEY?  So just because the Mexicans don't leave because of Hurricane Dean...DON'T MEAN THEY HAVE NO $$$.  They probably don't leave cause they are BETTER PREPARED and have better shelters than the U.S.  If you don't believe me, just look back at what happened to the people of Louisiana.  AND LET ME REMIND YOU AGAIN...THIS IS THE U.S., what is supposed to be THE MOST POWERFUL COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.  It might be that, but I tell ya what...this Government don't give a c**p about its people.  It has been proven over and over again.  Instead, millions/billions are being spent in freakin' IRAQ!  ALL FOR WHAT!?????  I tell ya...it's a lost case.