Hurricane Ike - Hurricane season 2008

The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Ike's eye was passing over the Turks and Caicos early Sunday (7th Sept). The NHC Web site showed hurricane force winds from Ike battering the island. It was moving west about 15 miles per hour with winds near 135 mph (215km/h). Its path would take it by the southeastern Bahamas early Sunday and near eastern Cuba Sunday night or early Monday.

There is a warning that Ike could dump 12 inches (30cm) of rain in places and cause storm surge flooding of up to 18ft (5.5m) above normal tide levels.

The hurricane is expected to reach the south-eastern Bahamas later on Sunday (7th Sept).
After weakening on Saturday, Ike regained strength as it approached the islands.

The NHC now classes it as "extremely dangerous" Category Four hurricane.

Preparations

Thousands of tourists and residents have left the islands.

The airport in Providenciales, the most populated of the island chains, has closed.

Areas likely to be affected:

The centre of the hurricane is forecast to pass to the north of Haiti

Haiti which is still recovering from Hanna will not be spared, where a humanitarian crisis was unfolding after flooding from Hanna left more than 500 people dead and thousands in desperate need of food, clean water and shelter.
Further flooding in Haiti is expected as the storm's outer rain bands were forecast to unleash torrential downpours up to 12 inches on the country's vulnerable northwest coast. These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides over mountainous terrain

Dominican Republic

Preparations are underwy with troops put on full alert with the potential risk of flooding. The ground is saturated and some of the dams in the south-east region are fairly close to their maximum capacity.

Heading west south-west at about 15mph, Ike should hit the northern coast of eastern Cuba by late Sunday or early Monday, according to the NHC forecast, putting the crumbling colonial buildings of the capital, Havana, at risk

source: BBC