Jamaicans Ignore Evacuation Order As Hurricane Approaches

The government of Jamaica urged the evacuation of 500,000 people in low-lying coastal communities, floodzones and shanty towns as Hurricane Ivan raced towards the island early today.

More than 1,000 shelters were opened as heavy downpours, thunderstorms and wind preceded the eye of the hurricane, which was due to pass over Jamaica before heading to Cuba and Florida.

But although the banks closed and shops ran out of basic supplies yesterday afternoon, few people made their way to the shelters, preferring to secure their roofs and wait at home.

"We have done the best we can to prepare for any eventuality, but we remain hopeful that we could be spared the worst," the prime minister, PJ Patterson, said.

Barbara Carby, director general of the office of disaster preparedness, said that although there was concern about the ability of buildings to withstand 160mph winds, her greatest concern was the 10-15ft (3- to 5-metre) storm surges and flooding projected for coastal communities.

Last night the country was shut off from the outside world. Flights in and out of were cancelled and Air Jamaica parked its planes in the United States.

But hundreds of British holidaymakers were airlifted to the Dominican Republic for their safety.

The Jamaican police went on emergency alert, fearing widescale looting, and a Royal Navy ship, HMS Richmond, sailed for Jamaica to offer vital aid.

Ivan, the most destructive hurricane in the Caribbean for more than 10 years, has already killed 32 people,

The toll includes 22 in Grenada, including two unidentified foreigners from a yacht, one in Tobago, four in Venezuela, a Canadian woman in Barbados, and four youngsters in the Dominican Republic, who were swept away by a giant wave even though the storm was nearly 200 miles away.

Although it has caused havoc all over the Caribbean, its most deadly effects so far have been felt in Grenada, where the capital, St George's, was devastated by whipping winds.

The country's prisoners escaped when the jail was damaged. Hundreds of looters smashed storm shutters and shop windows to take televisions and shopping carts of food. Some carried away bed frames and mattresses.

Ivan will be the third Hurricane to pass through the area in a month, hammering both the Caribbean and Florida.

Three hurricanes closely following one another in one season is extremely rare and there is still time for more this year.

This is exactly the sort of phenomenon that scientists on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change fear may be the result of warmer sea temperatures - more violent and frequent storms.

Last year gave the South Atlantic its first hurricane, a complete surprise to meteorologists, and something many thought would never happen.

In Florida residents stopped clearing up the debris from Charley and Frances to flee Ivan, pausing to join long queues once again at DIY stores and petrol stations.

"We've all been through this trilogy. It's no fun, but you do what you've got to do," Jane Fry, told the Associated Press as she loaded supplies into her car.

There was still hope that the winds may veer west and hit the Gulf of Mexico, but if Ivan does land in Florida it could well add to the death toll of 43 people and the damage bill of $20bn (£11bn) which has accrued in the past few weeks.