Hurricane Gustav: the Path of Destruction

Hurricane Gustav has already wrought devastation across the Caribbean, killing at least 94 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.

Gustav first struck the Caribbean last Tuesday, killing 76 people in Haiti and eight in the neighboring Dominican Republic.

The hurricane weakened to a tropical storm before hitting Jamaica, although around 10 people were feared dead in the wake of its day-long sweep across the island, which ripped off roofs and brought down power lines.

There were no reported casualties or injuries after Gustav hit the Cayman Islands on Friday, but intense winds of up to 130kph (80mph) tore down trees while heavy rains flooded streets.

More than 1,100 people took refuge in government shelters to escape the storm damage.

Gustav gained strength before it hit Cuba as a powerful category four hurricane.

It made a direct hit on the Isla de la Juventud, south of the Cuban mainland, on Saturday, with winds reaching 220kph.

As the storm marched across Cuba's western tip, it damaged or destroyed 86,000 homes.

Gusts reached 340kph in the western town of Paso Real del San Diego — a new wind speed record for a country often hit by major hurricanes.

Colonel Miguel Angel Puig, the head of operations for the Cuban civil defence, said 19 people had been injured, but none of those had been seriously hurt.

Most of the 250,000 residents evacuated to shelters were back home by yesterday evening.