Club Med says Caribbean villages weather storm Dean

PARIS (Reuters) - French tour operator Club Mediterranee said on Friday its Caribbean resorts appeared to have weathered the passage of Hurricane Dean, but its village in Mexico was taking precautions ahead of the storm's expected arrival there.

Club Med operates a 293-room resort in Martinique, a 326-room complex in Guadeloupe and a 379-room park in Cancun. The Cancun site was temporarily closed in October 2005 following storm Wilma and has been extensively renovated since.

"The worst appears to be over," a Club Med spokeswoman said. "We have had some material damage, uprooted trees, etc. but no injuries."

None of the Caribbean resorts were closed or evacuated, but as a precaution outdoor activities at Cancun had been suspended, and holidaymakers had been asked to stay in their rooms until further notice, she said.

"The village is preparing" for the arrival of the storm, she said.

Winds on Martinique were measured at 75 mph (120 kph), with gusts up to 105 mph (170 kph), according to France's weather service. Dean is threatening to become a powerful Category 4 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale and is projected to reach Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Tuesday.