The second hurricane to strike in less than a week prompted more than 800,000 people to evacuate coastal areas of eastern . More than 9,000 foreign tourists were moved out of the resort of Varadero.
The hurricane made landfall at Punta Lucrecia late Sunday, the head of ‘s meteorological service, Jose Rubiera, told state television.
Packing 120-mile (195-kilometer) per hour winds, Ike is the second powerful storm in just eight days to strike , following Hurricane Gustav.
"In all of ‘s history, we have never had two hurricanes this close together," lamented Rubeira.
Just before dawn, the eye of storm was practically over Cabo Lucrecia on the northern coast of eastern , about 135 miles (220 kilometres) east of
Ike plowed across the Turks and Caicos as a powerful Category Four storm late Saturday, causing injuries and extensive damage on the British territory and tourist haven, before weakening.
The hurricane raked the
The main concern is now in , where four storms in three weeks have killed at least 600 people and left hundreds of thousands in desperate need of food, clean water and shelter.
Officials continued aid operations in the flood-stricken town of
"Many homes were destroyed in Cabaret, and we have seen some bodies of children in the water," a journalist for UN radio who spent the night on the roof of his house told AFP.
Hundreds of bodies were found in
UN peacekeepers on Saturday evacuated several thousand residents from
Some 650,000 Haitians have been affected by the flooding, including 300,000 children, and the task of delivering crucial aid has been complicated by dismal transport conditions, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Officials said 200,000 people were without food and clean water, many for four days.
"What has happened here is unimaginable," Member of Parliament Pierre-Gerome Valcine told AFP from Cabaret, 35 kilometres (22 miles) north of the capital.
Massive flooding over the past week in the poorest country in the has triggered a humanitarian crisis that was worsening by the day.
Pope Benedict XVI said special prayers for the stricken country.
"I want to remember the dear population of , greatly distressed in recent days by passing hurricanes," Benedict told pilgrims on the Italian
More stormy weather hampered relief efforts Sunday. Heavy rains brought down a key bridge which severed the only viable land route to
The bridge gave way at the town of
Many bridges in other areas of have also collapsed, homes have been washed away and crops ravaged.
Ike was expected to eventually careen past