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Ivan Drenches Caribbean Islands, Churns toward Gulf Coast
Written by
Bonnie J. Gillespie
, Staff Writer and Photographer, RedCross.org
Tuesday, September 14, 2004 — Hurricane Ivan slammed Cuba with 160 mph winds and driving rains yesterday (Sept. 13) as it churned into the Gulf of Mexico. Overnight, Ivan weakened again to a Category 4 storm but still packs destructive 155 mph winds.
Residents were urged to leave five counties in the Florida panhandle, while other coastal communities from New Orleans to Mobile, Ala., were placed on alert. One of the strongest storms ever recorded in the region, Ivan carved a deadly path through Grenada, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, killing at least 68 people.
The projected path for Hurricane Ivan. |
At 8 a.m., the storm was centered about 115 northwest of the western tip of Cuba and about 450 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It packed winds of 155 mph and was moving toward the north-northwest near 9 mph. Hurricane-force winds extended up to 100 miles and tropical storm-force winds another 200 miles.
Ivan's bands of winds and rain may begin coming ashore along the U.S. Gulf Coast as early as Wednesday with landfall anticipated on Thursday, according to forecasters. It is not known, however, which location will take the storm's hardest hit.
In western Cuba, acres of tobacco fields were drenched and winds gusting up to 162 mph battered the provincial capital of Pinar del Rio, 100 miles west of Havana. But there were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage.
Parts of low-lying Grand Cayman, the largest island in the territory of 45,000 people, were swamped under up to 8 feet of water Monday after being pounded by Ivan's torrential rains for more than 12 hours.
Earlier in weekend, Ivan killed at least 15 people in Jamaica, as its driving rains and winds triggered mudslides, washed out roads and ripped roofs from homes when the monstrous storm roared past the island on Friday night. More than 15,000 people are packed into shelters and facing food shortages, and ninety-eight percent of the island is without power.
If Ivan keeps its projected course toward Florida, the state would face a storm that combines the worst of hurricanes Charley and Frances. Forecasts call for it to be nearly as powerful as Hurricane Charley's 145 mph winds when it nears the state, and though smaller, would still have some of the sprawling size of Hurricane Frances, with tropical storm winds reaching far enough to cover the entire peninsula.
Ivan shredded these homes in Grenada it passed through on its deadly trek across the Caribbean.
Image courtesy of the IFRC
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Charley's destructive force was concentrated in a narrow ring around the eye; it has been likened to a tornado 10 miles wide. Ivan's most destructive winds easily could be twice as wide. Frances didn't have winds that packed that punch, but its inchworm pace across the state left 6 to 8 inches of rain everywhere in its wake.
Hurricane Ivan’s rampage through the Caribbean began almost one week ago, when it passed south of the island of Barbados as a Category 3 storm, packing winds of up to 90 mph that damaged homes and disrupted utilities. Similar destruction was left on the islands of Tobago and Saint Vincent before growing into a Category 4 system as it passed directly over Grenada.
The American Red Cross is closely monitoring the situation in Grenada, Jamaica and the other affected Caribbean islands through its International Disaster Response Unit and continues to maintain contact and to coordinate activities with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Pan American Disaster Response Unit (PADRU).
Though massive response efforts to both Hurricane Charley and Hurricane Frances are ongoing, American Red Cross disaster responders are on full alert across Florida, ready to shelter evacuees and provide emergency relief whenever and wherever Ivan strikes.
Additionally, the Red Cross is encouraging residents in the storm’s projected path to prepare now by taking the following actions:
- Identify ahead of time where you could go if you are told to evacuate. Choose several places--a friend's home in another town, a motel, or a shelter.
- Keep handy the telephone numbers of these places as well as a road map of your locality. You may need to take alternative or unfamiliar routes if major roads are closed or clogged.
- Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or local radio or TV stations for evacuation instructions. If advised to evacuate, do so immediately.
- Take these items with you when evacuating:
- Prescription medications and medical supplies;
- Bedding and clothing, including sleeping bags and pillows
- Bottled water, battery-operated radio and extra batteries, first aid kit, flashlight
- Car keys and maps
- Documents, including driver’s license, Social Security card, proof of residence, insurance policies, wills, deeds, birth and marriage certificates, tax records, etc.
For more information, visit our section on Hurricane Preparedness.
You can help the victims of this and thousands of other disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. Call 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting our Online Donation Page.
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