Hurricane Ivan bore down on the eastern Caribbean on 7 September 2004, with its center about 75 kilometers northeast of Tobago that morning. Authorities placed Trinidad, Tobago, St Vincent, the Grenadines, and Grenada under hurricane warnings.
The Netherlands Antilles extended a hurricane watch to Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao, signaling the storm could reach those islands within 36 hours. Barbados had already recorded wind gusts of 145 kilometers per hour, and heavy rain flooded streets across Port-of-Spain and roads on Tobago.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center described Ivan as "a dangerous" hurricane, carrying sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour with the potential to strengthen further. Residents across the affected islands were told to complete protective measures without delay.
Early forecasts tracked Ivan toward Jamaica by Friday and Cuba by Sunday, a course that would carry it close to Florida. The state was still recovering from Hurricane Frances, the second major storm to strike the region in three weeks.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in September 2004, in its own words.