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August 30, 2008

Hurricane Gustav Nears Cuba With 205 kph Winds
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Forecasters say storm could produce more than half-meter of rain in some
parts of island 
This image provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Gustav taken at 6:55 a.m.
EDT, 30 Aug 2008U.S. forecasters say Hurricane Gustav has become a very
dangerous storm that continues to grow more powerful as it closes in on
western Cuba. At last report, Gustav had winds of 205 kilometers an hour
and was expected to pass over western Cuba later Saturday. Forecasters
say the storm could produce more than a half-meter of rain in some parts
of Cuba. It has claimed at least 80 lives in Jamaica, Haiti and the
Dominican Republic. The U.S National Hurricane Center in Miami predicts
Gustav will move into the southern Gulf of Mexico early Sunday and the
northern Gulf by Monday morning. Gustav is expected to strike the
southern U.S. anywhere from western Florida to Texas. High winds from
nearby Hurricane Gustav kick up waves before dawn, in George Town, Grand
Cayman Island, 30 Aug 2008 Separately, Tropical Storm Hanna is expected
to move near the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean late Sunday
or early Monday. Hanna had wind speeds of 85 kilometers per hour and
also was expected to strengthen. Some U.S. Gulf coast states -
Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas - have started evacuating residents as
Gustav approaches. U.S. President George Bush declared a federal state
of emergency in the state of Louisiana, a likely target for the storm.
Its path may include the city of New Orleans, which was devastated by
Hurricane Katrina three years ago.


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