HAVANA, Sept 13 (AFP) - A strengthening Hurricane Ivan roared toward Cuba Monday after wreaking havoc in the tiny Cayman Islands and killing at least 46 in its rampage across the Caribbean.
As the massive storm continued its relentless northwestward march over the Caribbean, forecasters said its center could miss the western tip of Cuba and move near the northeastern Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, which issued a hurricane warning.
At 0900 GMT the center of Ivan was located about 195 kilometers (120 miles) southeast of the western tip of Cuba, packing maximum sustained winds of 260 kilometers per hour and higher gusts, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.
Hurricane-force winds extended 165 kilometers from the eye of the storm.
About 1.4 million people have been evacuated from densely populated western Cuba, authorities said.
One of the worst storms ever to hit the Atlantic, Hurricane Ivan has so far claimed at least 19 lives in Jamaica, 17 in Grenada, five in Venezuela, four in the Dominican Republic and one in Tobago.
It could be the strongest storm system to hit Cuba in the last 40 years, the head of the island`s weather service warned.
"It will probably rain all day Monday, with enormous risks of flooding," said Jose Rubiera.
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."
Cuba, home to 11 million, is the Caribbean`s most populous island nation.
Authorities worry about Ivan`s effect on historic downtown Havana, where about 60 percent of all housing units are in poor condition and thought unable to withstand the storm`s full force.
All domestic and international flights were canceled early Sunday, cutting off Cuba from the rest of the world until Tuesday, when service will resume if possible.
Hurricane Charley left five Cubans dead and caused an estimated one billion dollars in damage a month ago.
Mexico meanwhile ordered 2,500 people to evacuate from islands and coastal areas along the Yucatan Peninsula and issued an alert for the popular tourist area of Cancun.
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 were ordered to evacuate the Florida Keys, a chain of islands south of Miami linked to the mainland by a single, 170-kilometer road, but a tropical storm watch in effect for the Keys could be lowered Monday.
Forecasters are now saying the storm may spare most of the Florida peninsula and make landfall late Wednesday near the border of the southern states of Mississippi and Alabama on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
Ivan battered the Cayman Islands on Sunday.
"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 National Hurricane Center said of three small islands between Jamaica and Cuba.
In Jamaica, lashed by Ivan Saturday, police said the death toll rose to 19 after a family of four was buried in a mudslide and overtaxed rescuers were unable to save a 76-year-old woman whose house caught on fire.
Powerful winds and heavy rain from Ivan carried off houses, uprooted trees and turned paved roads into raging rivers in the verdant island nation of 2.7 million.
Police said they shot dead at least one looter, and two officers were wounded in shootouts with other looters on the Caribbean island.
Police said bands of armed men roamed the streets of Kingston and Montego Bay, ransacking shops and businesses, exchanging gunfire with police and confronting residents who defended their possessions with machetes.
The tiny isle of Grenada, population 100,000, suffered catastrophic storm damage on Friday.