Extreme Conditions

Hurricane Ike hits Cuba

(08 September 2008)

The British Foreign Office has advised against all but essential travel to Cuba and the Florida Keys as Hurricane Ike sweeps through on its uncertain course towards the Gulf of Mexico.

Ike made landfall on Cuba late on Sunday and is expected to reach somewhere between the Florida Panhandle and the Texas coast (an area that includes New Orleans) later in the week.

In Key West on Sunday tourists and residents were ordered to evacuate, causing long traffic jams, but some in the area showed less resolve to flee.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said so-called "hurricane fatigue" should not prevent people there from leaving their homes for the second time in 10 days.