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August 29, 2008

Tropical Storm Gustav Moves Toward Cayman Islands
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1DEF1C0:A6F02AD83191E16040ACB001464A169E98CBE7246176B735&
 
Forecasters say Gustav likely to reach hurricane strength Friday or
Saturday 
Workers board up windows in preparation for the arrival of the Gustav
storm system, in George Town, Grand Cayman Island, 28 Aug 2008Tropical
Storm Gustav is moving away from the Caribbean island of Jamaica and
toward the Cayman Islands where it is expected to hit later Friday. U.S.
forecasters say Gustav will likely reach hurricane strength Friday or
Saturday. At last report, the National Hurricane Center said Gustav had
winds of 100 kilometers an hour. The center said the storm could produce
more than half-a-meter of rain in some parts of Jamaica and the Grand
Caymans. The storm lashed Jamaica with torrential rains and high winds
Thursday, after killing at least 59 people in Haiti and the Dominican
Republic. Forecasters expect Gustav to spin into the Gulf of Mexico
early next week and grow into a powerful hurricane that may strike U.S.
gulf coast states anywhere from Florida to Texas on Tuesday morning. The
governors of Louisiana and Mississippi declared states of emergency.!
  A preliminary disaster declaration was issued for Texas. If Gustav
becomes a hurricane, it would happen three years after Hurricane
Katrina, which devastated the city of New Orleans, killing hundreds and
causing more than $100 billion in damage. Authorities in New Orleans are
preparing for possible evacuations World oil prices have fluctuated in
recent days because of the threat of Gustav on oil drilling facilities
based in the Gulf of Mexico. Thousands of workers have been evacuated
from the installations. Separately, Tropical Storm Hanna gained strength
several hundred kilometers northeast of the northern Leeward Islands.
Hanna has winds of 85 kilometers per hour and was expected to move
toward the Bahamas Friday and Saturday.


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