Mexico will deploy 5,000 soldiers to the eastern Yucatan Peninsula before the imminent arrival of powerful Hurricane Delta, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday.
The US National Hurricane Center said it expected “extremely dangerous” conditions, including a rise in the sea level, high waves, rain and flooding.
The category 4 hurricane is due to hit the north-east of the peninsula overnight and then move through the Gulf of Mexico towards the United States on Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Delta was reported to be travelling at 420 kilometres east of the Mexican island of Cozumel, a popular tourist destination. It was gathering force, delivering sustained winds of up to 220 kilometres per hour.
Quintana Roo state declared a red alert and suspended all non-essential activities in seven municipalities. Several ports were closed and airports were also due to do so.
More than 30,000 tourists will be evacuated in Cancun, according to newspaper Reportur.
“From 5 pm (2200 GMT) EVERYONE should stay at home,” tweeted the state’s governor, Carlos Joaquin.
Delta is expected to be the strongest hurricane to hit the coast of Quintana Roo in 15 years, Joaquin later said, adding there could be waves up to 10 metres high and power cuts. He called on residents to stock up on drinking water and food for several days.
Residents were also advised to protect their houses with suitable materials, while hotels started removing furniture from beaches and swimming pools. Security was due to be stepped up to prevent eventual looting.
The state of Yucatan also suspended non-essential activities.
Heavy rains were expected in parts of the Caribbean, including the Cayman Islands and some Cuban regions, where a tropical storm warning was in force.
Delta is the 25th hurricane or tropical storm over the Atlantic this season. The season has been so intense it exhausted the pre-determined list of 21 first names and led to storms being named after letters of the Greek alphabet.
Last weekend, tropical storm Gamma sparked flooding in eastern Mexico, leaving at least seven people dead.
