By Marc Frank
HAVANA (Reuters) - Ferocious Hurricane Ike ripped off roofsin the southern Bahamas on Sunday and Cuba scrambled to movehundreds of thousands of people inland, away from a stormeventually headed toward the U.S. Gulf oil patch and possiblyNew Orleans.
A dangerous Category 4 hurricane with 135 mph (215 kph)winds and a possible 18-foot (5.5 meter) storm surge, Ike boredown on Cuba's northeast coast after raging through Britain'sTurks and Caicos, an overseas territory of about 22,000 people,and Great Inagua, the Bahamas' southernmost island.
"This one is quite severe," said Inagua resident ShanieRoker. "There is a lot of wind and rain. Roofs in Matthew Townare being damaged and trees are coming down."
Residents of the Florida Keys, a 110-mile (177-km) islandchain connected by bridges with only one road out, were told toevacuate as a precaution.
Ike could follow a path similar to that of Hurricane Gustavthrough the Gulf of Mexico toward Louisiana and Texas, possiblythreatening New Orleans, the city swamped by Katrina threeyears ago, and the Gulf energy rigs, which account for aquarter of U.S. oil and 15 percent of natural gas output.
MOVING TO HIGHER GROUND
Many of Cuba's 11 million people could be affected by Ike,which was expected to move ashore north of Guantanamo Bay --home to the U.S. Navy base housing the controversial prisoncamp for terrorism suspects -- and spend nearly two days overthe long, narrow island.
Authorities used buses, trucks and other transportation tomove thousands of tourists inland from Cuba's prime resortsalong the northern coast from Guardalavaca in eastern Holguinto Varadero. Ranchers herded cattle in the prime grazing areasof eastern Las Tunas and Camaguey to higher ground.
"We are at a disadvantage because there are no hills andmountains to break the wind," farm worker Artemio Madonadoemossaid from the flatlands of Las Tunas. "If the storm comesthrough here the damage will be enormous."
Ike was set to come ashore in Holguin, home of the nickelindustry, Cuba's most important export, then move westward overthe heart of the sugar industry. Holguin's mines and threeprocessing plants in the mountains were shut down.
The hurricane rained new misery on Haiti, where floodingtriggered by Tropical Storm Hanna was believed to have killedat least 500 people around the port city of Gonaives.
"I believe the death toll is much higher," Gonaives chiefMayor Stephen Moise said, adding it had started raining again,floodwaters were rising and bridges linking the city to therest of the country had collapsed.
"Gonaives is really a devastated and isolated city," hesaid. "We cannot bear another hurricane."
By 2 p.m. EDT (7 p.m. British time), the centre of Ike wasjust west of Great Inagua Island, where a satellite dish on theroof of a phone company building collapsed and high winds blewthe shutters off the police station.
'TOO CLOSE'
A steady stream of traffic moved along the Overseas Highwayin the Florida Keys as some residents evacuated even though Ikewas expected to pass at least 100 miles (160 km) to the south.
"It's just too close to not react to it," Monroe Countyadministrator Roman Gastesi said.
A homeless shelter shut down and bussed its residents toMiami, and business owner Bill Murphy evacuated the staff ofhis adult-themed shop, and his entire collection of Halloweencostumes for Key West's annual Fantasy Fest event, to Orlando.
"I've got everyone on my staff ... living with my Orlandoemployees," he said. "I have a big investment in the costumesbecause of Fantasy Fest so they were important to save too."
Ike was forecast to curve into the Gulf in the wake ofGustav, which went ashore just west of New Orleans last week,sparing the city traumatized by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Katrina killed 1,500 people and caused about $80 billion(45.3 billion pounds) damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Ike's most likely track had it headed for theTexas-Louisiana border. But long-range forecasts have a largemargin of error and a slight deviation could take it toward NewOrleans.
Forecasters expected Ike to weaken to a Category 1 storm onthe five-step Saffir-Simpson intensity scale over Cuba but toregain Category 3 strength as it nears the U.S. Gulf coast.
Oil companies had begun returning workers to the offshoreplatforms that were evacuated before Gustav hit. But onecompany, Shell Oil Co., said on Saturday it had stoppedreturning workers in case new evacuations were needed.
(Additional reporting by Michael Haskins in Key West andJohn Marquis in Nassau, writing by Jim Loney; editing by DavidWiessler)
