Category 4 Hurricane Ike slammed into the Turks and Caicos islands this morning, damaging 80 percentof the homes there, the Associated Press is reporting.
Turks and Caicos premier Michael Misick said Ike damaged 80 percent of the homes on the main island and that hundreds lost their roofs as the hurricane made a near-direct hit. People have been cowering in closets and under stairwells and "just holding on for life. They got hit really, really bad," he told The Associated Press Sunday morning.
With 135 mph (215 kph) winds, Ike was swirling on from the tiny British territory to the Bahamas' Great Inagua Island, where about 85 people inside a community center shelter huddled around a radio.
"It's looking terrible," said Henry Nixon, a reserve police officer inside the shelter. "All we can do is hunker down and pray."
Great Inagua, which is closer to Haiti than to the Bahamian capital of Nassau, is the southernmost island in the Bahamas archipelago. It has the world's largest breeding colony of West Indian flamingos, and about 1,000 people.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Ike was moving west at about 15 mph (24 kph). Cuban officals have posted hurricane warnings as Ike is due to arrive later Monday. In the United State, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has started preparations. Florida Keys tourists are being ordered to leave, with residents starting an evacuation this morning.
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