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Hurricane hits eastern Caribbean Caribbean storm gathers strength
(about 6 hours later)
The first hurricane of the Atlantic storm season is buffeting the islands in the eastern Caribbean. Hurricane Dean has strengthened to a Category 3 "major" storm, pounding the eastern Caribbean with winds in excess of 177km/h (110 mph).
At 0900 GMT, the hurricane's centre was in the St Lucia Channel between St Lucia and Martinique, heading westwards at 24mph (39km/h). The US National Hurricane Center upgraded the storm as it hit St Lucia and Martinique, killing a man, ripping roofs off homes and uprooting trees.
Reports from St Lucia said power was down and many trees had been uprooted. Landslides have also been reported in Martinique, leaving hundreds homeless.
Hurricane Dean, with winds of 100mph (160km/h), is currently a Category Two storm but US forecasters expect it to strengthen over the next 24 hours. The first hurricane of the Atlantic season is now heading towards Jamaica and could reach Category 4 status.
name="back"> Telephone and power lines are down, they're strewn all over the road, trees are uprooted and are blocking the roads Martinique resident
class="bodl" href="#anchor">See a map of the hurricane US forecasters warned that the storm could reach the Gulf of Mexico by Wednesday, threatening the US-Mexico border region.
"Buildings are still standing, roofs haven't come off," David Wallace in St Lucia told a Miami television station. Workers on oil and natural gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico were evacuated to safety on Friday, officials said.
"But it's devastating in terms of trees. Almost every tree is down here." 'Truly catastrophic'
"There is water in my house. There is water in my room. I don't know what to do. Everything is shaking, shaking, shaking. It's truly catastrophic," a woman said in a phone call to Radio Martinique. At 1745 GMT, the hurricane's centre was located about 280km (175 miles) west of Martinique, moving west at about 35km/h (22mph).
Residents on the island of Martinique reported landslides and flooding, as the eye of the storm passed through the narrow St Lucia Channel.
Many roads are blocked by debris and uprooted trees
"In one village, telephone and power lines are down, they're strewn all over the road, trees are uprooted and are blocking the roads," Heraldine Rock, a former MP, told Reuters.
"In another village, a landslide has been reported, cutting off any access to the airport."
A caller to Radio Martinique said: "There is water in my house. There is water in my room. I don't know what to do. Everything is shaking, shaking, shaking. It's truly catastrophic."
Earlier, the storm claimed its first victim on the island of St Lucia, where a 62-year-old man drowned after being swept away in a swollen river while trying to save a cow.
State radio reported flooding in the capital, Castries.
Emergency meetingEmergency meeting
The US National Hurricane Center has also issued hurricane warnings for Guadeloupe and Dominica, meaning hurricane conditions are possible within 24 hours. Jamaica's prime minister called an emergency meeting of the country's disaster preparedness committee in anticipation of the hurricane, which could hit over the weekend.
Tropical storm warnings are in place for other islands in the eastern Caribbean, including Antigua, the British and US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Tropical storm warnings are in place for the British and US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla and St Maarten and Grenada.
In Dominica, the government cancelled leave for the emergency services and urged employers to send workers home early so they could prepare for the hurricane's arrival, Reuters reported. No substantial damage was reported in Dominica, where the government had cancelled leave for the emergency services.
Jamaica's Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has called an emergency meeting of the country's disaster preparedness committee for Friday to get ready for the hurricane, which could hit over the next week.
Image taken at 1300 GMT Return
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