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Hurricane Ike batters Cuba, heads for U.S.

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Hurricane Ike moved towards the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday after leaving at least four dead in Cuba and forcing 1.3 million people from their homes, local meteorologists said.
WASHINGTON, September 10 (RIA Novosti) - Hurricane Ike moved towards the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday after leaving at least four dead in Cuba and forcing 1.3 million people from their homes, local meteorologists said.

Tropical storm Ike, that became a category 4 hurricane on September 4, battered the Caribbean, with winds reaching 130 km p/h (80 mph). At least 80 people have been killed across the region. Forecasters predict that Ike will hit Texas on Saturday morning.

The hurricane damaged several buildings in Cuba and devastated tobacco fields on the western coast, and also triggered flooding in nearby Haiti, which has been devastated by a series of storms with the death toll reaching 1,000.

"The consequences for the island have been really devastating in terms of houses and harvests, particularly during the world food crisis. This is something that's going to be a real problem in the next month," UNICEF's Vivianna Limpias.

Ike is the third major hurricane in the Atlantic hurricane season this year. Earlier this month, Hurricane Gustav swept through the Caribbean, leaving 120 dead. Hurricane Hanna caused deadly flooding in northern Haiti last week, killing 536 people.

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