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Tropical storm Gustav has reached hurricane strength again after battering Jamaica and killing at least 71 people in the Caribbean. The hurricane had maximum winds of nearly 121km/h (75mph), the US National Hurricane Center said. It hit Jamaica with heavy rains and strong winds, tearing roofs off houses. It is forecast to hit the US early next week, prompting evacuation plans in New Orleans, three years after the city was hit by Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans and coastal Mississippi have been holding commemorations of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans buried the last seven unclaimed bodies of Katrina at a memorial site on Friday. "We look ahead to a better day, as we also prepare ourselves for another threat," said Mayor Ray Nagin at the funeral. Meanwhile, Gustav was forecast to move towards the Cayman Islands, where residents were boarding up windows and stocking up on supplies of food and fuel. Workers were being evacuated from oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, as oil prices on trading markets rose amid forecasts Gustav could threaten oil installations in the region. 'Looting' Gustav claimed the lives of at least 59 people in Haiti, eight in the Dominican Republic and four in Jamaica. The aftermath of tropical storm Gustav in the Dominican Republic Heavy rain and winds lashed eastern parts of Jamaica on Thursday causing chaos. "The water is rising fast and there is widespread looting down here," resident Jackie Thompson told Reuters news agency from Montego Bay. "The people are even stripping the material from one of the bridges. It is awful." Gustav had been downgraded to the status of a tropical storm after weakening over Haiti on Wednesday. A hurricane is defined by winds of 119km/h (74mph), according to the NHC. Across the Cayman Islands, non-essential government employees were sent home on Thursday afternoon ahead of the storm's expected arrival. Cayman Airways added 25 extra flights to their schedules in an effort to transport tourists and residents wanting to get off the islands. But officials said they were not expecting a significant storm surge for Grand Cayman - which came as a welcome relief to islanders as much of the island sits just metres above sea-level. Meteorologists say the storm could make landfall in the US anywhere from south Texas to Florida by Tuesday. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard. Gustav is the seventh tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.  \ Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7589299.stm | |
Friday, August 29, 2008
Gustav regains hurricane strength
