MIAMI -- Hurricane Ike bore down on Cuba after roaring across low-lying islands Sunday, tearing apart houses, wiping out crops and worsening floods in Haiti that have already killed more than 300 people.
With Ike forecast to sweep across Cuba and possibly hit Havana head-on, hundreds of thousands of Cubans evacuated to shelters or higher ground. To the north, residents of the Florida Keys fled up a narrow highway, fearful that the "extremely dangerous" hurricane could hit them Tuesday.
At least 48 people died as Ike's winds and rain swept Haiti Sunday, raising the nation's death toll from four tropical storms in less than a month to 306. A Dominican man was crushed by a falling tree. It was too early to know of deaths on other islands where the most powerful winds were still blowing.
Keys Evacuate Ahead Of Ike
Residents in the Florida Keys began loading up buses Sunday to evacuate the area ahead of Hurricane Ike. Key West residents were told to start leaving Sunday morning, followed by the rest of the Keys later in the day.
Not everyone is leaving the Keys. Waldo Velize said he has to stay behind.
"I'll never leave, really. [I] have to stay here and take care of what we have," Velize said. "It's a necessary thing, but it's an individual decision you have to make, and that's the one I'll make."
Visitors to the Florida Keys were told to leave Saturday. Reports out of Key West said the streets were empty Sunday morning.
State of Emergency
Gov. Charlie Crist held another briefing Sunday to stress to all Florida residents that Ike is not to be taken lightly.
"Hurricane Ike is a dangerous storm. All residents should take it seriously," Crist said. "I encourage Floridians and visitors to stay out of the surf. These rip tides can be very dangerous, as we've already learned along the Atlantic coast."
The governor declared a state of emergency for Florida earlier in the week, the fourth declaration in the last few weeks.
Crist reminded Floridians Sunday of Hurricane Donna, which hit Florida in 1960. Donna was on a similar path to Ike, but turned into the state and hit Central Florida.
Ike has been battering the Turks and Caicos island chain, and part of the Bahamas. It is expected to be near eastern Cuba by Sunday night.
Track the paths of Ike with our Hurricane Tracker and downloadable map, available at the News 13 Hurricane Center.
Need help getting ready for a hurricane? News 13 on Demand, Bright House Networks Digital Cable Channel 313, has a Hurricane Center filled with vital information on what you can do to prepare for a storm. In the Severe Weather section, News 13's meteorologists show you how to be safe when a storm strikes.
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