Mass exodus before Wilma hits

2005-10-19 20:17

Cancun - Tens of thousands of tourists and residents in Mexico, Cuba and other countries on Wednesday fled the path of Hurricane Wilma, the strongest hurricane recorded in the Atlantic.

Mexican authorities told tourists on the Yucatan peninsula - a popular sun spot for US and European holiday-makers - to return home.

All major hotels were ordered emptied.

About 90 000 people were ordered away from the western Cuban coast.

Honduras, Nicaragua, Jamaica and other Caribbean islands were also on alert for the backlash from Wilma which is predicted to smash into the Florida coast this weekend.

The resort of Isla Mujeres, just off the Yucatan coast close to Cancun, was believed to be one of the most at risk of being targeted by Wilma, a category five storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

Roberto Vargas, a civil protection official in Cancun said tourists were being urged to leave amid fears Wilma could strike.

MTV awards"All those here should take necessary precautions: first, tourists should return to their cities of origin, second, homes and boats should be secured," Vargas warned.

Organisers postponed the MTV Video Music Awards Latin America planned for Wednesday in Cancun because of the looming hurricane.

A spokesperson for the event, Dulce Gordillo, told AFP "now the priority is to get the artists back to their homes" before the storm hits.

"Some of the computer models are showing it getting closer and closer to the peninsula, and we may be facing a potential landfall in some areas of the northeast of the Yucatan, in the area of Isla Mujeres," civil defence co-ordinator Carmen Segura told Formato 21 radio.

"For the moment we are recommending the evacuation of places that we have identified as being at risk," said the co-ordinator.

Ships have been ordered into dock in many areas of the peninsula, the official added.

Rain

Cuban authorities issued an alert for Havana - a crowded city of more than two million with a crumbling housing stock - and the country's western provinces including the westernmost Pinar del Rio, where more than 90 000 people were due to be evacuated in a matter of hours.

Rain

Central American countries hard hit by Hurricane Stan, which left 2 000 people dead or missing, went on alert on Wednesday as powerful Hurricane Wilma churned in the Caribbean.

Heavy rains "pose a threat to flood-prone areas," particularly in Nueva Segovia, Esteli, Matagalpa and Cabo Gracias a Dios, Nicaraguan meteorologist Marta Castillo said.

In Honduras, as rains resumed the standing emergency committee issued alerts for the departments of Gracias a Dios, Colon and the low-lying Bay islands.

Residents were told to prepare to evacuate if the situation worsens.

Costa Rican authorities, expecting heavy rains and flooding, issued alerts for almost all of the country and urged 1 800 people left homeless by Stan earlier this month to remain in shelters and not return home to avoid potential for trouble caused by Wilma.

- AFP