Hurricane Delta
People walk on a flooded street after Hurricane Delta hit near Cozumel on October 07, 2020 in Cozumel, Mexico. Hurricane Delta reached Mexican east coast, between Cancun and Playa del Carmen, forcing evacuations in touristic areas. Is the second strongest hurricane in the Atlantic this year, only after hurricane Laura, and is expected to hit the coast of Louisiana on Friday. Photo by Natalia Pescador/Getty Images.nullThis story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.
By Jason Swensen, Church News
No injuries or deaths were reported for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after Hurricane Delta battered Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula Wednesday.
Damage to 34 member homes was minor and another home suffered severe flooding. The roofs of two meetinghouses were damaged.
All Latter-day Saint missionaries serving in regions of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula are safe and accounted for.
“[Prior] to the storm, they were moved to secure locations with adequate supplies,” said The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spokesman Daniel Woodruff.
Missionaries serving in the forecasted path of the hurricane, he added, “are taking the same precautions as the storm progresses.”
The Mérida Mexico Temple, the Yucatán’s only temple, was reopened to Phase 1 operations on September 28.
Hurricane Delta made landfall just south of the resort community of Cancún on Wednesday, downing trees and knocking out power along the northeastern coast of the Yucatán, the Associated Press reported.
There were no reports of any deaths or injuries, said Carlos Joaquín González, governor of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, on October 7.
“Fortunately, the most dangerous part of the hurricane has passed,” Joaquín González told the Associated Press, noting the big problem was downed trees that had knocked out power lines and blocked roadways.
Delta was expected to travel from the Yucatán Peninsula into the Gulf of Mexico, potentially gaining strength before reaching the U.S. Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday.
Latter-day Saints and their neighbors living along the U.S. Gulf Coast are already in the advanced stages of hurricane fatigue. In mid-September, Hurricane Sally battered communities from Pensacola, Florida, to Mobile, Alabama. And on August 27, Hurricane Laura slammed communities along the Texas-Louisina coastline. Both disasters prompted multi-state Helping Hands relief projects involving thousands of volunteers.
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