Hurricane Ike slams into Cuba
Monday, 08 Sep 2008 17:14
Hurricane Ike hits Cuba's northern coast with winds of over 120mph
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Hurricane Ike has hit Cuba with winds of over 120mph and torrential rain.
The category two hurricane is battering the Caribbean island's northern coast where hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated.
Rivers are reported to have broken their banks with streets and low-lying areas flooded on the eastern side of the island.
Forecasters warn Ike could pound Cuba for two days before crossing the Gulf of Mexico. Residents of the Florida Keys have been told to leave their homes in anticipation of the hurricane's arrival.
Over 60 people were killed in Haiti by Ike and 80 per cent of homes on the islands of Turks and Caicos are reported to have been damaged.
Ike follows Hurricane Gustav which led to the mass evacuation of New Orleans last week after residents feared a repeat of the scenes witnessed three years ago when Hurricane Katrina killed almost 2,000 people.
Gustav caused serious damage to Cuba and reports suggest the island's emergency services are being severely stretched.
"In all of Cuba's history, we have never had two hurricanes this close together," Jose Rubiera, the head of the country's meteorological service, told national television.
Forecasters claim the hurricane will hit Cuba's capital Havana tomorrow.
The Caribbean has been continually battered by severe weather over the last few weeks with 500 people reported to have been killed in Haiti as a result of Tropical Storm Hanna.
Hurricane Ike is the ninth severe weather system of the Atlantic storm season this year.