Residents of the Caribbean Turks and Caicos
islands began surveying damage on Sunday following the devastating impact of
Hurricane Ike, as the "extremely dangerous" category 4 storm
continued on its path toward the Bahamas and Florida Keys.
At 8 a.m. (1300 GMT) Ike had winds of over 215 kilometres per hour, just east of Grand Inagua in the Bahamas.
Residents of Turks and Caicos islands said on Sunday that the worst there had
passed, but the damage looked "pretty huge."
Speaking to US news channel CNN, Audley Astwood, a reporter at a radio station
on Grand Turk island said that "it looks very dismal outside."
CNN reported that an estimated 50 per cent of homes on Grand Turk had been
destroyed by the storm or had roofs removed.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami reported on Sunday morning that
Ike was expected to move through the south-east Bahamas during the morning, to
be "near or over eastern Cuba" by nightfall.
NHC labelled the hurricane as "extremely dangerous" and said that it
remains a threat for "all interests in the Florida Keys."
Residents of the Florida Keys had been ordered to evacuate by 8 a.m. Sunday, CNN reported, and officials in Florida said they would continue to help residents
evacuate throughout the day.
While admitting that storm tracks are unpredictable, Florida Governor Charlie
Crist said Ike could develop into a serious threat by Tuesday.
"What we also have to do, to be prepared, is to be smart, alert and
vigilant," he said.
The Caribbean has already seen three major storms in the past month, Tropical
Storm Hanna, Tropical Storm Fay, and Hurrican Gustav. Hundreds of people have
died in Caribbean nations, with Haiti being the worst hit. 163 people died
there in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Hanna, dpa
reported.