I imagine that lives will be lost and billions of dollars in damage will be left behind but it actually could have been worse. Dr. Jeff Masters updates:
We can expect that the southern 1/3 of the island, including Kingston, will receive sustained winds of Category 2 strength–96 to 114 mph. Category 3 and higher winds will be confined to the southernmost 5% of the island, and it appears that the Category 4 winds will stay offshore. The portion of the island affected by the Category 3 winds is very sparsely populated.
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that this is Dean at his destructive peak. The Cayman Islands and the Yucatan could fare far worse although it’s looking like the Cayman Islands may not get the direct hit they feared either.
