The storm has already passed through the Windward Islands:

"Earlier, Dean pounded the islands of Dominica, St. Lucia and Martinique. The hurricane has claimed at least three lives so far, including a 7-year-old boy and his mother on Dominica who were crushed in their home when rains from the storm caused a landslide, The Associated Press reported.
...
Dangerous winds ripped a corrugated metal roof off a pediatric ward at Victoria Hospital in St. Lucia's capital, Castries, AP reported. No injuries were reported, AP said, and patients had been evacuated.

Flooding and wind-swept debris have turned St. Lucia into "a total mess," state radio reported, according to AP."

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/08/17/storms/?iref=mpstoryview

And pray for the Irish too:

http://marginalizedactiondinosaur.net/?p=844

(via commenter Dr. Wright)

only when they move back deport all from ON

FYI, we are running a live thread here:

Hurricane Dean Live Thread [Now Cat 4]

These storms make a mess and cause serious economic damage, but, suprisingly, few people get hurt.

Jamacians will survive: think of the storm as Nature's car wash.

Jamaica needed praying for before the storm. We have some Jamaican gangs in this country we could send back to help with the cleanup.

Of course pray for the people of Jamaica now but hurricanes are not a new phenomenon for any of the Islands however.
Let's hope the Global Warmers don't use these early storms as fodder to ramp up their cause.

And i suppose AL GORE and wackos in GREENPEACE will use this to claim this GLOBAL WARMING poppycock bull kaka

"Let's hope the Global Warmers don't use these early storms as fodder to ramp up their cause."

It's only if it hits the US then it was caused by global warming, sorry climate change.

Looks like God is punishing the Jamaicans for what they are doing in North Toronto. Can't This hurricane hit Toronto. Might get rid of some of the piss smell.

Of course the GW whackos will use this as 'da proof of AGW,totally ignoring the fact they have occured every season since prehistoric times. But deep down they will be upset,because it isn't killing enough people to get to their magical number,that of reducing earth's population by 3 billion people!

It should realy go through WASHINGTON D.C. and clean out all that rubish

Thank you for this post Kate. Your simple message says it all "Pray for Jamaica."

My family and I have been to this beautiful island a number of times. The people are remarkably warm and friendly. They are also poor, certainly by Canadian standards, and very few live in any kind of a house that could possibly withstand the full force of a category four or five hurricane.

When we were there in the summer of 2005, two hurricanes - Dennis and Emily - bore down on the island within a ten day period. Both were initially projected to hit Jamaica directly. Both changed course, or "wobbled" at the last moment - Dennis missing us to the north, and Emily to the south.

Most of the Jamaicans actually expected this to happen. They have actually had remarkably good luck in the past with hurricanes just missing them, and I suspect that's what many are expecting this time. However, this may be the time their luck runs out.

Even being on the outer fringes of a hurricane was frightening enough. I can't imagine what this is going to be like. Jamaica has been directly hit by a hurricane twice in the past - Charlie in 1951 and Gilbert in 1988 - and neither was anywhere near as powerful as this monster.

The worst thing is - for most people, there is simply nowhere to go. You can't get in your car and drive inland like people can in Florida or Texas. There's no structure like the Superdome for everyone to go to. No one even has a basement to hide in.

I remember one young woman telling us about being in her home with her young daughter while Ivan passed by in 2004. She said for hours, the noise was like a freight train roaring past right outside her door, and there was nothing to do but sit there and try to comfort her little girl.

This looks like it is going to be worse. Much, much worse.

Pray for Jamaica.

Stan: Thank you for this post Kate. Your simple message says it all "Pray for Jamaica." My family and I have been to this beautiful island a number of times.

Yeah, somehow I doubt Kate actually cares in the least about the safety of the residents of Jamaica. For one, her message is in quotations marks, suggesting irony rather than sincerity. Also, there's her history of posts like this one. Nah, if anything, she's hoping Dean hits Jamaica straight-on.

Please, Mr or Ms Smoke, do not project your own cynicism and biliousness on Kate. It might be appropriate for some of those who leave comments on this site, but not for the owner. For criticizing the media's practice of refusing to face the cultural background to a rise in serious crime in Toronto and for expecting people to be held accountable for their behviour, she is to be commended.

Tropical storm Dean is producing quite enough destructive wind; please don't add to the problem.

I operate a fruit farm in southern Ontario.
Jamaican workers help me 6 months a year.
They are the hardest workers I have ever met.
They are terriffed about hurricane Dean and they are worried sick about their famalies back on the island.They are stuck here in Canada right now and will keep on working.Do not knock the Jamaican
people.

I do believe in prayers, sometimes its yes, and others its No but hurricanes do have a strange way of turning as it reaches Jamaica, we are a blessed country, we do have our probles, but we all, even the gun men believe in God. I do not think you will ever hear anyone hear saying do not pray in school etc. Thank you God and protect us, and let thy will be done. Keep Dean away.

I do believe in prayers, sometimes its yes, and other times its No but hurricanes do have a strange way of turning as it reaches Jamaica, we are a blessed country, we do have our probles, but we all, even the gun men believe in God. I do not think you will ever hear anyone hear saying do not pray in school etc. Thank you God and protect us, and let thy will be done. Keep Dean away.