By Staff
Dean's survivors need our help
Residents of the U.S. Gulf Coast appear to have dodged a major storm – Dean, who trampled across the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico Tuesday.
The powerful Category 5 storm weakened over land but was expected to strengthen as its eye moved over the Bay of Campeche, home to more than 100 oil platforms and three major oil exporting ports. The sprawling, westward storm was projected to slam into the mainland this afternoon with renewed force near Laguna Verde, Mexico's only nuclear power plant.
There were no reported deaths in Mexico attributed to Hurricane Dean late last night, but rescue workers were having trouble reaching the thousands who rode out the storm in low-lying communities of stick huts.
Early estimates placed insured losses from the storm between $750 million and $1.5 billion, according to Risk Management Solutions, which calculates hurricane damage for the insurance industry.
As Dean continues to cause damage, and as the extent of that damage becomes clear, Americans will likely be asked to help – as a country and as individuals.
Those who survived the hurricane need our help; but they also need our prayers.