News / Science & Technology
Forecasters Predict Hurricane Dean to Hit Category 5 Strength; Hispaniola, Jamaica Brace
Hurricane Dean, currently barreling through the Caribbean as Category 4 storm, is expected to reach winds sustaining 155 mph before it hits the island of Hispaniola and later Jamaica.
Three lives have already been claimed by Hurricane Dean in the eastern Caribbean islands of St. Lucia and Dominica but the devastation is expected to reach higher proportions as it nears Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Currently sitting 175 miles south of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Hurricane Dean is moving west-northwest at 17 mph and will likely hit the island Sunday morning before continuing its path directly aimed at Jamaica.
Officials in Jamaica have set up shelters and put guards on call as they brace for a direct hit Sunday evening.
