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Dean downgraded on Mexican return Dean raises flood fears in Mexico
(about 4 hours later)
Hurricane Dean has been downgraded to a tropical storm after hitting Mexico for the second time this week. The remnants of Hurricane Dean have brought torrential rain to Mexico, raising fears of floods and mudslides.
Dean was a Category Two hurricane with gusts of up to 100mph (160km/h) before it weakened after landing at the eastern state of Veracruz at 1700 GMT. Up to 51cm (20in) of rain were expected in parts of southern and central Mexico as Dean hit the country for the second time this week.
Wind speeds dropped to 70mph (110km/h) as it lurched inland but concerns remained about potential flash floods. Winds of 35mph (55km/h) were also expected, but forecasters say the storm should dissipate later on Thursday.
Up to 20in (51cm) of rain were expected to swell rivers around villages in mountainous regions prone to mudslides. Dean was downgraded from a Category Two hurricane to a tropical depression on Wednesday evening.
The Veracruz authorities have evacuated more than 20,000 people from low-lying coastal areas. The hurricane first crossed Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Tuesday as a maximum Category Five storm, toppling trees, wrecking homes, and causing flooding.
"These floods could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," warned the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
View path of Hurricane Dean in more detailEnlarge Map
On Tuesday, Dean battered Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, toppling trees and houses and causing flooding.
It also damaged houses and flooded streets in neighbouring Belize.It also damaged houses and flooded streets in neighbouring Belize.
The hurricane initially hit Yucatan as a maximum Category Five storm but quickly weakened. Dean has claimed at least 18 lives since it began its path through the Caribbean last week.
It regained strength over the Gulf of Mexico, where it slammed into oil and gas platforms, but is not thought to have caused any significant damage to refineries. The first Mexican fatality was reported on Wednesday when a man in Veracruz state was killed by an overhead power cable as he tried to repair the roof of his house.
Dean was heading inland west of Poza Rica city at 2200 GMT. Life-threatening floods
US National Hurricane Center spokesman Jamie Rhome had warned residents not to underestimate Dean. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast a total rainfall of 5-10in over parts of southern and central Mexico, with a maximum of up to 20in in the central mountains.
View path of Hurricane Dean in more detailEnlarge Map
"These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," said a statement from the centre.
NHC spokesman Jamie Rhome warned residents not to underestimate Dean.
"We often see that when a storm weakens, people let down their guard completely. You shouldn't do that," he told the Associated Press news agency."We often see that when a storm weakens, people let down their guard completely. You shouldn't do that," he told the Associated Press news agency.
Homes destroyed The Veracruz state government said residents of poor mountain villages were particularly at risk.
There have been no reports of deaths in Mexico, but the hurricane claimed at least 13 lives in the eastern Caribbean. "It's raining and it's going to keep raining intensely in the coming days," Veracruz Governor Fidel Herrera said.
At least three of those deaths were in Jamaica, which has delayed a general election that had been scheduled for next week. More than 20,000 people were also evacuated from low-lying coastal areas of the state as local rivers swelled.
Major Mexican tourist resorts were not directly hit, but indigenous Mayan villages were exposed to the hurricane's full force when it struck the Yucatan Peninsula on Tuesday, south of Cancun. Oil production to resume
Meanwhile, the Mexican state oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), said technicians were set to return to its offshore oil platforms and would begin to restore output on Friday.
Hundreds of homes were destroyed in and around the town of Majahual
Pemex evacuated all 18,000 employees from its installations in the Gulf of Mexico before the hurricane struck, causing a drop in production of 2.65m barrels a day.
Major Mexican tourist resorts were not directly hit, but indigenous Mayan villages were exposed to the hurricane's full force when it struck the Yucatan Peninsula south of Cancun.
Hundreds of homes were destroyed in and around the town of Majahual.Hundreds of homes were destroyed in and around the town of Majahual.
Before it hit Mexico, Dean killed nine people in Haiti, four in Jamaica, two in the Dominican Republic and two in Martinique.
It also forced Jamaican authorities to delay until 3 September a general election that had been scheduled for next week.