HAVANA, Sept 13 (AFP) - Deadly Hurricane Ivan hit the western tip of Cuba on Monday, but Cuban President Fidel Castro said the island had been spared the brunt of the storm's deadly strength, even as flood waters began rising.
The eye of the storm ran aground on the Guanahacabibes Peninsula at 2245 GMT, forecaster Jose Rubiera said, and was expected to take at least three hours to cross the island.
Even though the eye was 350 kilometers (215 miles) west of Havana, heavy rains pounded the capital all day.
But Castro said the island had nonetheless been spared the worst of Ivan's fury. "Ivan has had a friendly attitude," the communist leader said.
He said the shift in the hurricane's tack will help Cuba "avoid damage and expenses that otherwise would have been incurred."
Whipped up by the hurricane's winds, seawaters still flooded western portions of the island, which remain the most affected by the monster category five storm.
The most affected were the fishing towns of La Coloma and Cortes, which found themselves under water as a result of the storm surge.
The populations of both towns had been evacuated.
A power outage was reported on the Isle of Youth.
As Ivan hit, Castro reiterated his refusal to accept aid from the United States and other countries that maintain sanctions against Cuba.
"We will not accept assistance from anyone who has adopted anti-Cuban measures," he said, adding that offer of aid from such countries were "hypocritical."
At least 69 people have died as Ivan ripped across the Caribbean, headed across Cuba and eventually expected to reach the southeastern United States.