GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands – Paloma became an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane early Saturday and was threatening to strike hurricane-ravaged Cuba, after knocking out power across much of Grand Cayman Island. The National Hurricane Center in Miami predicted Paloma will make landfall in Cuba as a major hurricane late Saturday or early Sunday with maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph 178 kph. The late-season storm downed trees and flooded some low lying areas on Gran Cayman, and pealed the roofs off buildings on sister island Cayman Brac. But residents appeared to ride out the storm unscathed, and utility company trucks already were fixing damaged lines. "We have no reports of any injuries or casualties. Our indications are that there has been minimal if any damage on Grand Cayman," said Donovan Ebanks, chairman of the Hazard Management Committee. He said sister island Cayman Brac, to the east, was still experiencing hurricane force winds which blew roofs off some buildings, although there were no reports of casualties there either. Paloma had top sustained winds near 140 mph 225 kph Saturday morning. It was expected to bring total rainfall accumulations of 5 to 10 inches 12 to 25 centimeters over the Cayman Islands as well as central and eastern Cuba. Cuba already is suffering from Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, which struck the island earlier this season and together caused an estimated $9.4 billion in damage. Nearly a third of Cuba's crops were destroyed, causing widespread shortages of fresh produce. Cuban official newspaper Granma, recalling past late-season hurricanes such as a 1932 storm that killed about 3,000 people, said Paloma poses "a potential danger for the island." Havana's communist government activated the early stages of its highly organized civil defense system. In central and eastern Cuba, people were advised to stay tuned to state media for news of Paloma's progress and be ready to evacuate. The center of Paloma was just southeast of Cayman Brac and moving northeast near 8 mph 11 kph. The storm's center was expected to move away from Little Cayman and Cayman Brac on Saturday morning and was about 165 miles 265 kilometers southwest of Camaguey, Cuba. Forecasters expect Paloma to weaken into a tropical storm after striking Cuba and then steer south of Florida through the Bahamas and into the Atlantic.
Paloma becomes Category 4 storm, heads toward Cuba
GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands – Paloma became an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane e...
Saturday 04 July 2009
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