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Jamaica

Jamaica OPDEM Situation Report No. 8

Attachments

DATE: August 20, 2007

TIME: 3:30 pm

EVENT: Hurricane Dean

DATE OF EVENT: August 19th 2007

NATURE OF EVENT

The Meteorological Service has downgraded the HURRICANE WARNING for Jamaica to a TROPICAL STORM WARNING as the inf;uence of Hurricane Dean on the island gradually weakens.

At 10:00 a.m. the centre of Hurricane Dean was located near Latitude 17.7 degrees North, Longitude 80.7 degrees west. This is about 420km (260 miles) west southwest of Negril Point, Jamaica.

Dean is now moving westwards near 33 km/h (21 mph) and this general motion is expected to continue over the next 24hours. On this track the center of Hurricane Dean is expected to continue to move away from Jamaica today while heading over the extreme northwestern Caribbean Sea.

Maximum sustained winds remain near 240 km/h (150 mph), with higher gusts. Dean remains a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.with the potential of reaching category 5 status later today, before making landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula.

A large mass of showers and strong winds surrounding the network is moving away from the island, however feeder bands continue to spiral into the system and are likely to be dragged across the island with squalls and showers during the morning and early afternoon. Conditions are expected to gradually improve as the day progresses, beginning with eastern parishes.

CRITICAL ACTIVITIES

Casualties

- One person confirmed dead in Clarendon. Preliminary reports indicate that cause of death occurred from a collapsed roof.

- Fourteen year old (14y-o) girl confirmed dead in Whitehorses St. Thomas, reportedly from rock damage to her home