Gustav Slams Jamaica as Gulf Coast Braces

Tropical Storm Gustav pummeled Jamaica today with 65mph winds and may build to a category 3 storm by the time it reaches Cuba tomorrow, CNN reports. The storm killed some 51 in Haiti and eight in the Dominican Republic yesterday. Officials in the National Hurricane Center’s “cone of uncertainty” from Texas to Florida are preparing for a hit as Gustav heads toward Grand Cayman.

New Orleans is at the center of the danger zone, but “it is simply impossible at this time to determine exactly where and when Gustav will make final landfall,” said the NHC, warning that “it would be no surprise if rapid intensification occurred and Gustav became a Category 4 or 5 hurricane by 72 hours.” Areas of the Gulf Coast could be evacuated by tomorrow. (More hurricane stories.)