Hurricane batters Cuba
Hurricane Ike continues to batter Cuba, leaving a trail of destruction in the Caribbean.
Ike, which has been downgraded to a category 3 hurricane, made a direct hit on the Turks and Caicos Islands, a luxury Caribbean tourist destination, on Sunday morning.
When it hit, Ike was an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane and both of the populated Turks islands have been under the impact of Ike’s strongest winds.
Ike reached the northern coast of eastern Cuba last night.
Catastrophe risk experts RMS said: "Whilst it is too early to gauge the full extent and severity of damage on the islands, initial reports indicate that many homes on Grand Turk have lost roofs and some houses are reported to have collapsed.
"Early indications are that 80 percent of homes on Grand Turk have sustained some degree of damage. A similar situation seems to be the case for the South Caicos whilst the North Caicos and Providenciales are without power and subject to very strong winds and heavy rains. Communications across the islands are intermittent.”
