Hurricane Ivan heads for Cuba after killing 46

HAVANA, Sept 12 (AFP) - Hurricane Ivan roared over the Cayman Islands Sunday toward Cuba and the US state of Florida, leaving at least 46 dead in its wake across the Caribbean.
In Jamaica, 19 people were killed as powerful winds and heavy rain from Ivan carried off houses, uprooted trees and turned paved roads into raging rivers.
One of the worst storms ever to hit the Atlantic has killed people in Grenada, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Tobago and Jamaica.
At 0001 GMT the center of Ivan was located about 340 kilometers (210 miles) southeast of the western tip of Cuba, which is directly in the path of the storm, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.
"So far 1.4 million persons have been evacuated," Cuban civil defense authorities said in a statement over state media.
The effects of the huge storm caused havoc on the tiny islands. "Reports from ham radio operators and the Cayman meteorological service indicate that power is out throughout the island," the hurricane center said in a statement.
"Numerous buildings have lost their roofs. Water up to 61 centimeters (two feet) deep covers the airport runway, and water as high as 1.5 meters (five feet) is flowing through many homes," the center said.
Ivan was moving in a west-northwest direction at 17 kilometers (10 miles) per hour with maximum sustained winds near 240 kilometers (150 miles) per hour, making it a strong Category Four storm on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, the center said.
"Ivan could regain Category Five intensity," the center added.
Ivan was expected to hit densely populated Cuba early Monday, with long-range forecasts showing the storm heading north over the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico and eventually hitting the Florida panhandle.
"This hurricane is gigantic," said the head of Cuba`s weather service, Jose Rubiera. "We have to take all precautionary measures."
Hurricane-force winds reach out 150 kilometers (90 miles) from the eye, according to the US center.
The worst of Ivan will hit Cuba late Sunday, Rubiera said. "It will probably rain all day Monday, with enormous risks of flooding," he said, warning that it could be the strongest storm system to hit the island in the last 40 years.
Cuban leader Fidel Castro took to the airwaves late Saturday for a five-hour broadcast along with weather experts to inform the public about the hurricane`s progress.
"We can`t let our guard down," said Castro. "There are still many hours in which this monster can do many unpredictable things."
Cuban authorities rushed to evacuate some two million people from their homes, shut down the railroad and ports and ready bomb shelters for refuges.
A hurricane warning was in effect for much of western Cuba, including the densely-populated Havana area of more than two million people. Cuba, with a population of 11 million, is the Caribbean`s most populous island nation.
One month ago Hurricane Charley left five Cubans dead and an estimated one billion dollars in damage.
Authorities worry about Ivan`s effect on historic downtown Havana, where about 60 percent of all housing units are in poor condition and unable to withstand the storm`s full force.
All domestic and international flights were canceled as of 0400 GMT Sunday, cutting off Cuba from the rest of the world until Tuesday, when service will resume, if possible.
Mexico ordered 2,500 people to evacuate four islands, and issued an alert for the popular tourist area of Cancun on the Yucatan peninsula.
And in Florida, Governor Jeb Bush extended a state of emergency over the entire state, which is still mopping up from the ravages wrought last week by Hurricane Frances and last month by Charley.
Residents have been ordered to evacuate the Florida Keys, a chain of islands south of Miami linked to the mainland by a single, 170-kilometer (113-mile) road. However, Ivan`s revised path goes west of the keys.
Police said they shot dead at least one looter, and two officers were wounded in shootouts with other looters on the Caribbean island nation of 2.7 million.
Looting was a growing problem in Jamaica`s cities. Police said bands of armed men roamed the streets of Kingston and Montego Bay, ransacking shops and businesses, exchanging gunfire with police, confronting residents who defended their possessions with machetes.
Virtually the entire island was without electricity. Only those with emergency generators had power.
The tiny isle of Grenada, population 100,000, suffered catastrophic storm damage on Friday.
Up to 90 percent of buildings on the island were damaged, crops were destroyed and tourist resorts were in ruins, said Prime Minister Keith Mitchell.
Some 60,000 residents of Grenada were left homeless, with 5,000 to 8,000 people staying in 47 emergency shelters, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Relief Agency said.