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| Hurricane churns up the Caribbean | Hurricane churns up the Caribbean |
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| Haiti and the Dominican Republic are braced for potential flooding as Hurricane Dean passes to the south after gathering force in the Caribbean. | Haiti and the Dominican Republic are braced for potential flooding as Hurricane Dean passes to the south after gathering force in the Caribbean. |
| Winds have hit 233km/h (145mph) and the storm may achieve the highest category, Five, with speeds of about 250km/h, by the time it reaches Mexico on Monday. | Winds have hit 233km/h (145mph) and the storm may achieve the highest category, Five, with speeds of about 250km/h, by the time it reaches Mexico on Monday. |
| Dean has claimed three lives on islands in its path, and there are now fears it will directly pass over Jamaica. | Dean has claimed three lives on islands in its path, and there are now fears it will directly pass over Jamaica. |
| Forecasters warn this could be an unusually active Atlantic storm season. | Forecasters warn this could be an unusually active Atlantic storm season. |
| We are just getting ready. Filling up the bath with water, unplugging all the computers at work and covering them with polythene bags. Taping the windows. John Townend, Kingston, Jamaica BBC News website reader Hurricane Dean: Readers' updates | |
| In the US, Louisiana has declared a state of emergency, though the chances of the storm hitting are slim. | In the US, Louisiana has declared a state of emergency, though the chances of the storm hitting are slim. |
| Governor Kathleen Blanco took the decision amid heightened sensitivity to hurricanes since Katrina flooded New Orleans in 2005. | Governor Kathleen Blanco took the decision amid heightened sensitivity to hurricanes since Katrina flooded New Orleans in 2005. |
| The neighbouring state of Texas has categorised Dean as an imminent threat. | The neighbouring state of Texas has categorised Dean as an imminent threat. |
| See a detailed map of the region | See a detailed map of the region |
| Shelters open | Shelters open |
| The hurricane is due to pass to the south of Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, on Saturday. | The hurricane is due to pass to the south of Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, on Saturday. |
| Haiti has issued an alert for coastal communities and ordered fishing boats to stay ashore until after the weekend. | Haiti has issued an alert for coastal communities and ordered fishing boats to stay ashore until after the weekend. |
| Jamaica, which fears a direct hit on Sunday, has ordered emergency shelters to be opened and Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller called for a halt to campaigning for the elections on 27 August. | Jamaica, which fears a direct hit on Sunday, has ordered emergency shelters to be opened and Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller called for a halt to campaigning for the elections on 27 August. |
| "Let us band together and unite in the threat of this hurricane," the prime minister said. | "Let us band together and unite in the threat of this hurricane," the prime minister said. |
| US hurricane monitors have also urged the Cayman Islands to be vigilant. | US hurricane monitors have also urged the Cayman Islands to be vigilant. |
| The hurricane is due to reach the Gulf of Mexico, where the US has much of its domestic oil and gas supplies, on Monday. | The hurricane is due to reach the Gulf of Mexico, where the US has much of its domestic oil and gas supplies, on Monday. |
| Some companies have already begun shutting down production platforms and evacuating workers to the mainland. | Some companies have already begun shutting down production platforms and evacuating workers to the mainland. |
| "This storm is moving faster than the average storm," Rebecca Waddington of the National Hurricane Centre in Miami told the BBC's World Service. | "This storm is moving faster than the average storm," Rebecca Waddington of the National Hurricane Centre in Miami told the BBC's World Service. |
| "It is forecast to have a direct hit on Jamaica at a Category Four strength, which is an extremely dangerous storm [and is forecast to come] very close to the Mexican coast, near the Texas-Mexico border." | "It is forecast to have a direct hit on Jamaica at a Category Four strength, which is an extremely dangerous storm [and is forecast to come] very close to the Mexican coast, near the Texas-Mexico border." |
| Crushed to death | Crushed to death |
| Dean earlier visited destruction on the islands of St Lucia, Martinique and Dominica. | Dean earlier visited destruction on the islands of St Lucia, Martinique and Dominica. |
| Roofs were ripped from homes and from a hospital, banana plantations were flattened and power lines torn down, while roads were flooded by torrential rain. | Roofs were ripped from homes and from a hospital, banana plantations were flattened and power lines torn down, while roads were flooded by torrential rain. |
| In Dominica, a landslide crushed a woman and her seven-year-old son while they slept in their home. | In Dominica, a landslide crushed a woman and her seven-year-old son while they slept in their home. |
| In St Lucia, a 62-year-old man was swept away and drowned when he tried to retrieve a cow from a rain-swollen river. | In St Lucia, a 62-year-old man was swept away and drowned when he tried to retrieve a cow from a rain-swollen river. |
| The threat posed by Hurricane Dean may affect the scheduled return next week of the US space shuttle Endeavour, which is currently due to land on Wednesday. | |
| Are you in the Caribbean? Have you been affected by Hurricane Dean or are you preparing for it to pass? Send us your comments and experiences using the form below. If you have any pictures you can send them to yourpics@bbc.co.uk. | Are you in the Caribbean? Have you been affected by Hurricane Dean or are you preparing for it to pass? Send us your comments and experiences using the form below. If you have any pictures you can send them to yourpics@bbc.co.uk. |
| Find out more about how to send your pictures | Find out more about how to send your pictures |