On Wednesday, at approximately 5:30 a.m. local time, Hurricane Delta made landfall in Quintana Roo as a Category 2 hurricane, arriving along the coast near Puerto Morelos (roughly halfway between Cancun and Playa del Carmen). Quintana Roo governor Carlos Joaquín reported that so far, no serious damages or deaths have been reported in the state. As of Thursday, the international airports of Cancun and Cozumel will resume operation.
At this moment, all the municipalities of the state (Tulum, Solidaridad, Cozumel, Puerto Morelos, Benito Juárez, Isla Mujeres, Lázaro Cárdenas, José María Morelos, Othón P. Blanco, Felipe Carrillo Puerto and Bacalar) have reduced to the "Yellow Alert" level; these alert levels reflect reduced risk but the ongoing need to remain vigilant and take precautions as the newly arrived storm continued to bring wind and rain throughout the region.
Earlier this week the Government of the State of Quintana Roo, working with State Civil Protection Department, implemented the official protocols and preventive measures necessary to safeguard the wellbeing of the population and all visitors, for which various areas of the state were evacuated and the people were taken to the corresponding shelters.
It is important to remember that all tourists in the state (nationals and foreigners) can download the Guest Assist app (available on iOS and Android) to request any type of assistance or information during such situations. Also, in order to locate and protect visitors to the state, the Guest Locator technological platform was immediately enabled, available to embassies and consulates that request it.
So far, most of the tourists have already been able to return to their hotels and population to their homes, however, people are still being asked to take the necessary precautions and follow the instructions and recommendations by the State Civil Protection and the Government of the State of Quintana Roo.
In the forecast: According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Hurricane Delta is expected to grow in size as it approached the Gulf Coast, where it will bring “life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds” starting Friday. A hurricane warning is in effect from east of Sabine Pass, at the Texas-Louisiana border, to Morgan City, LA, south of Baton Rouge. A storm surge warning covers a wider area, extending to Ocean Springs, MS, according to NPR.
Flash, urban, stream and river flooding is likely Friday and Saturday from the Gulf Coast into the Lower Mississippi Valley, the NHC says. As Delta moves inland, heavy rainfall is expected in the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic this weekend.
This article originally appeared on www.travelagentcentral.com.
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