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AP880912-0095
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AP880912-0095
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Hurricane Gilbert, packing 110 mph
winds and torrential rain, moved over this capital city today after
skirting Puerto Rico, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
There were no immediate reports of casualties. Telephone
communications were affected.
Right now it's actually moving over Jamaica, said Bob
Sheets, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami. We've
already had reports of 110 mph winds on the eastern tip.
It looks like the eye is going to move lengthwise across that
island, and they're going to bear the full brunt of this powerful
hurricane, Sheets said.
Forecasters say Gilbert was expected to lash Jamaica throughout
the day and was on track to later strike the Cayman Islands, a
small British dependency northwest of Jamaica.
Meanwhile, Havana Radio reported today that 25,000 people were
evacuated from Guantanamo Province on Cuba's southeastern coast as
strong winds fanning out from Gilbert began brushing the island.
All Jamaica-bound flights were canceled at Miami International
Airport, while flights from Grand Cayman, the main island of the
three-island chain, arrived packed with frightened travelers.
``People were running around in the main lobby of our hotel (on
Grand Cayman) like chickens with their heads cut off, said one
vacationer who was returning home to California through Miami.
Hurricane warnings were posted for the Cayman Islands, Cuba and
Haiti. Warnings were discontinued for the Dominican Republic.
All interests in the Western Caribbean should continue to
monitor the progress of this dangerous hurricane, the service
said, adding, Little change in strength is expected for the next
several hours as the hurricane moves westward over Jamaica.
The Associated Press' Caribbean headquarters in San Juan, Puerto
Rico, was unable to get phone calls through to Kingston, where high
winds and heavy rain preceding the storm drenched the capital
overnight, toppling trees, causing local flooding and littering
streets with branches.
Most Jamaicans stayed home, boarding up windows in preparation
for the hurricane. Some companies broadcast appeals for technicians
and electricians to report to work.
The weather bureau predicted Gilbert's center, 140 miles
southeast of Kingston before dawn, would pass south of Kingston and
hit the southern parish of Clarendon.
Flash flood warnings were issued for the parishes of Portland on
the northeast and St. Mary on the north. The north coast tourist
region from Montego Bay on the west and Ocho Rios on the east, far
from the southern impact zone and separated by mountains, was
expected only to receive heavy rain.
Officials urged residents in the higher risk areas along the
south coast to seek higher ground.
It's certainly one of the larger systems we've seen in the
Caribbean for a long time, said Hal Gerrish, forecaster at the
National Hurricane Center.
Forecasters at the center said the eye of Gilbert was 140 miles
southeast of Kingston at dawn today. Maximum sustained winds were
near 110 mph, with tropical-storm force winds extending up to 250
miles to the north and 100 miles to the south.
Prime Minister Edward Seaga of Jamaica alerted all government
agencies, saying Sunday night: Hurricane Gilbert appears to be a
real threat and everyone should follow the instructions and
hurricane precautions issued by the Office of Disaster Preparedness
in order to minimize the danger.
Forecasters said the hurricane had been gaining strength as it
passed over the ocean after it dumped 5 to 10 inches of rain on the
Dominican Republic and Haiti, which share the island of Hispaniola.
We should know within about 72 hours whether it's going to be
a major threat to the United States, said Martin Nelson, another
meteorologist at the center. It's moving at about 17 mph to the
west and normally hurricanes take a northward turn after they pass
central Cuba.
Cuba's official Prensa Latina news agency said a state of alert
was declared at midday in the Cuban provinces of Guantanamo,
Holguin, Santiago de Cuba and Granma.
In the report from Havana received in Mexico City, Prensa Latina
said civil defense officials were broadcasting bulletins on
national radio and television recommending emergency measures and
providing information on the storm.
Heavy rain and stiff winds downed power lines and caused
flooding in the Dominican Republic on Sunday night as the
hurricane's center passed just south of the Barahona peninsula,
then less than 100 miles from neighboring Haiti.
The storm ripped the roofs off houses and flooded coastal areas
of southwestern Puerto Rico after reaching hurricane strength off
the island's southeast Saturday night.
Flights were canceled Sunday in the Dominican Republic, where
civil defense director Eugenio Cabral reported some flooding in
parts of the capital of Santo Domingo and power outages there and
in other southern areas.