Jamaica lashed by tropical storm

Tropical Storm Gustav has battered Jamaica with heavy rains and strong winds, tearing the roofs off houses.

The storm, with maximum sustained winds of up to 110km/h (70mph), is expected to strengthen into a "major hurricane".

It is forecast to hit the US in the coming days, prompting evacuation plans in New Orleans, three years after the city was hit by Hurricane Katrina.

Gustav has claimed the lives of more than 50 people in Haiti, and at least eight in the Dominican Republic.

Heavy rain and winds began lashing eastern parts of Jamaica as the storm struck late on Thursday, raising fears of mudslides and flash floods as seen in Haiti.

The streets of the capital, Kingston, were said to be deserted. See map of the region

Gustav was forecast to move towards the Cayman Islands later on Friday, where residents were boarding up windows and stocking up on supplies of food and fuel.

Workers were being evacuated from oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, as oil prices on trading markets rose amid forecasts Gustav could threaten oil installations in the region.

Hurricane threat

The Miami-based US National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasts Gustav will strengthen into a "major hurricane" by Saturday.

A hurricane is defined by winds of 119km/h (74mph), according to the NHC.

Across the Cayman Islands, non-essential government employees were sent home on Thursday afternoon ahead of the storm's expected arrival.

Cayman Airways added 25 extra flights to their schedules in an effort to evacuate tourists and residents wanting to get off the islands.

But officials said they were not expecting a significant storm surge for Grand Cayman - which came as a welcome relief to islanders as much of the island sits just metres above sea-level.

Cuba has replaced a hurricane warning for its eastern Granma province with a tropical storm warning.

Meanwhile, the US state of Louisiana and New Orleans are making their own preparations ahead of Gustav's arrival.

Meteorologists say the storm could make landfall in the US anywhere from south Texas to Florida by Tuesday.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard.

New Orleans has also begun planning a possible mandatory evacuation, hoping to prevent the chaos it saw after Katrina, which struck the city three years ago on Friday.

Gustav is the seventh tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.

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