Hurricane Gustav heads towards Cuba
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hurricane Gustav has ploughed through the Cayman Islands and is heading towards Cuba. Gustav, which killed 71 people in the Caribbean, swirled through the Caymans with fierce winds that tore down trees and power lines. It is expected to cross Cuba's cigar country and head into the Gulf of Mexico by Sunday.
Gustav first struck Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, the smaller easternmost "Sister Islands" in the chain. Storm surge and heavy rains flooded the streets.
Juliana O'Connor-Connolly, who represents the islands in the Cayman legislature, said about 40 people were riding out the storm in her home, which at 65 feet elevation is safe from flooding but still vulnerable to winds that ripped out hundreds of fruit trees on the farm.
Late on Friday night, Gustav was centred 25 miles west-southwest of Little Cayman Island and moving northwest near 10mph, according to the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami. Top winds were about 80mph.
Authorities did not impose a curfew but urged people to remain indoors to avoid interfering with emergency workers.
More than 1,100 people were in government shelters in the three islands as high waves and heavy winds battered the chain, the National Emergency Operations Centre said in a statement. No injuries were reported.
At least 59 people died in Haiti and eight in the Dominican Republic.
The hurricane centre said Gustav could grow to a Category 3 storm, with winds above 111mph, by the time it hits the US Gulf coast next week. Gustav could strike anywhere from the Florida Panhandle to Texas, but forecasters said there is a better-than-even chance that New Orleans will get slammed by at least tropical-storm-force winds.
As much as 80% of the Gulf of Mexico's oil and gas production could be shut down as a precaution if Gustav enters as a major storm, weather research firm Planalytics predicted. Oil companies have already evacuated hundreds of workers from offshore platforms.
Photo: AP