A palm tree has just been blown over outside my room

[prufrock]

I'm in Nevis, and we are right on the edge of Huricane Dean. We've all been asked to stay inside as much as possible, beaches are closed, can't dive because all boats have been hauled out. The rain is horizontal, and the top half of Mount Nevis is invisible behind thick cloud. And this is right at the edge - poor St Lucia and Martinique have been caught at the centre

Hope your relatives are all ok Kisidee. I just hope the precautions they have made will stand up to some of it. The people there have done all they can.

"Peoples' livelihoods and animals. Their crops.

Gawd, there's already so much poverty in these places. "

this is the bit that gets me so upset, expat. people just find it hard to visualise if they don't know hurricanes or never lived there.

yes, people stayed behind. the brunt of this was supposed to hit further north, though i never thought so. i am a hurricane tracker junkie and have seen it before.

landfall was 30 mins ago.

some guy near the eye has called in and said he would not wish what he is experiencing on anyone.

don't feel like you are rubbernecking, rhu, the company makes it easier.

I know, kis. I'm welling up. I've only been through 3 hurricanes and they were only 3s or 4s.

The devestation these storms bring with the flooding and tornados afterwards, and the disease from all that water and no clean water to drink.

And it's hard, if you haven't lived in these places, to understand that it's not like losing your job. If you lose your animals and/or your crops, you struggle to eat at all.

I was so hoping this would weaken. Am really praying for these people and their homes and livelihoods now.

My thoughts are with everyone there. You never know, with this much focus on one of the poorest countries it could lead to a few positive outcomes. It highlights the poverty there so perhaps they'll get more aid?

iexpat, no news and the radio stations in chetumal are silent. those with no news are the ones getting hit hardest.

the eye made landfall in a rural area north of chetumal so pray for those folks.

Am praying.

My dad said to give him 4 hours to sleep and then try to phone him so he can get up and see more news.

But he's not young and he's got a heart condition. I hate to do that and upset him. My mother would kill me!

i love that part of the world. things sound like they are getting hopeful in n. belize.

let your dad sleep.

He is half-Mayan. He is very concerned for the community there but there is hope that as the storm moves across the peninsula and back into the bay it will weaken.

Here is hoping!

i'm half mayan too with my roots in those parts.

it's the poor mayan people between chetumal and tulum who are being devastated by this. i can picture that part of the world so well.

this hurricane is moving fast and will cut right across the peninsula

The Mayan people are strong, though, they've gotten through worse. They'll come through this, too!

Telemundo is somehow receiving reports from inside a hotel in Chetumal.

And it's sounding tough there.

Please, folks, spare a prayer or a thought for the people of this area.

i am feeling for Chetumal. I wish i had telemundo here. just still listening to belize radio.

a few years ago, after hurricane mitch, the Gov't of Belize put together a comprehensive emergency system.

i don't know how mexico does these things.

My sister is up. She is listening to Telemundo.

President Calderon has STILL not arrived back home yet. He's in Canada.

does telemundo have an internet feed she can share with me?

things are still sounding real bad in n. belize so i know its worse in mexico.

que el chingon presidente vaya a la chingada, pues.

Just saw it has been downgraded to a 3.

it is daylight now too and though the advice is still to stay inside, people are looking around to assess the damage.

video from CNN taken since daybreak

Still keeping in touch with my dad and sister. No real reports of anything definite just yet. The Telemundo reports were video footage and radio feeds from people inside a hotel.

I see all those beautiful, warm faces in my mind and am still praying the storm continues to weaken and that it all comes out relatively unscathed.