In Martinique roofs have been ripped off and power lines are down
Storm hits Martinique
The US National Hurricane Center upgraded the storm as it moved towards Mexico, killing a man in St Lucia. It could become category five, it said.
The first hurricane of the Atlantic season caused landslides and ripped off roofs in St Lucia and Martinique.
In Texas, five people died in flash floods caused by Tropical Storm Erin.
Telephone and power lines are down, they're strewn all over the road, trees are uprooted and are blocking the roads
Martinique resident
Rescuers are searching for two people missing in the thunderstorms. Central and southern Texas are braced for more rain on Friday.
"The ground's already saturated, then with the amount of rain we got today it's just running off and causing flash flooding, so if we get additional rain it will be a major concern for us," said a regional emergency co-ordinator, Orlando Hernandez.
'Truly catastrophic'
US forecasters have warned that Hurricane Dean could reach the Gulf of Mexico by Wednesday, threatening the US-Mexico border region.
Workers on oil and natural gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico were evacuated to safety on Friday, officials said.
More heavy rain is forecast for central and southern Texas
It says if the storm veers towards Houston, it may order space shuttle Endeavour, due to land back on Earth on Wednesday, to either return early or extend its stay at the International Space Station.
At 1745 GMT, the hurricane's centre was located about 280km (175 miles) west of Martinique, moving west at about 35km/h (22mph).
Residents on the island of Martinique reported landslides and flooding, as the eye of the storm passed through the narrow St Lucia Channel.
"In one village, telephone and power lines are down, they're strewn all over the road, trees are uprooted and are blocking the roads," Heraldine Rock, a former MP, told Reuters.
"In another village, a landslide has been reported, cutting off any access to the airport."
Emergency meeting
A caller to Radio Martinique said: "There is water in my house. There is water in my room. I don't know what to do. Everything is shaking, shaking, shaking. It's truly catastrophic."
Many roads are blocked by debris and uprooted trees
State radio reported flooding in the capital, Castries.
Jamaica's prime minister called an emergency meeting of the country's disaster preparedness committee in anticipation of the hurricane, which could hit over the weekend.
Tropical storm warnings are in place for the British and US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla and St Maarten and Grenada.
No substantial damage was reported in Dominica, where the government had cancelled leave for the emergency services.
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De acuerdo al Centro Nacional de Huracanes (NHC por sus siglas en inglés), el Huracán Dean tiene vientos que lo clasifican en un huracán de categoría 2. Para llegar a este nivel, los vientos deben ser mayores a 100 mph.

"Dean pueden convertirse en un huracán mayor en el Mar Caribe del este", reportó un meteorólogo de NHC. También añadió que puede convertirse en "un extremadamente peligroso huracán de categoría 4 para cuando llegue al Mar Caribe del oeste".

Meteorólogos declararon que el huracán podría amenazar a las Antillas Menores el viernes. Dean pasará por Jamaica a alrededor de las 2 p.m. EDT del domingo, y luego pasará por la Península de Yucatán y entrará al Golfo de México el martes.

Se han declarado alarmas de huracán en Santa Lucía y Dominica. El servicio meteorológico de Barbados ha declarado una alarma de tormenta tropical para Barbados y vigilancia para San Vicente y las Granadinas y San Martín.

"Está lejos, pero no es temprano para empezar a prepararse... Notamos eso con Erin. Estamos agradecidos por eso especialmente desde que Dean podrá ser de gran fuerza", declaró Katherine Cesinger, una portavoz del gobernador de Texas Rick Perry.

A las 2 a.m. EDT, la tormenta se encontraba a 385 millas al este de Barbados, de acuerdo al NHC. Se traslada al oeste a una velocidad de 24 mph.

El Huracán Dean fue nombrado oficialmente temprano esta mañana.