Hurricane Ike has been tearing across Cuba and is likely to gain strength again as it sweeps towards the Gulf of Mexico's oil fields and the US mainland.
Some two million people have been forced from their homes and so much rain is falling that authorities are warning of "life-threatening flash floods and mudslides".But Ike has been ravaging the island as just a Category 1 storm - and it is threatening to become even more fearsome as it gains power over the warm Gulf waters.
Before hitting Cuba, Hurricane Ike killed 66 people on Haiti, a nation already saturated by storms Hanna and Gustav.
Cuban media has been reporting widespread damage throughout the eastern provinces and images of toppled trees, destroyed homes, downed power lines and flooded towns have been shown on state-run television.
Some parts of the island have been swamped by up to 10 inches of rain, with rivers swelling and huge waves along the coast.
