Jamaica braced for carnage as Hurricane Ivan arrives

A satellite image from the USNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Ivan over the Caribbean

A satellite image from the USNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Ivan over the Caribbean

Heavy rain and winds have begun lashing Jamaica as Hurricane Ivan arrived on the Caribbean island after ravaging Grenada killing 27 people.

Half a million Jamaicans were urged to evacuate low-lying areas, including around the capital, Kingston. And in the Cayman Islands, authorities told coastline dwellers to evacuate.

Jamaica's 2.7 million people have been scrambling to protect their homes and stock up on supplies ahead of the arrival the hurricane which at one stage reached a rare top-level Category 5, with winds of 160 mph.

Few Jamaicans were on the streets and all businesses in Kingston were closed. Ravines running through the city began flooding and fishermen tied boats to trees.
 
Forecasters are warning the hurricane could pick up strength and is already moving west-northwest at wind speeds up to 145 mph.

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Ivan killed at least 27 people as it roared through the Caribbean, most of them on the devastated spice island of Grenada, which officials said remained without power or water and under a dusk-to-dawn curfew after widespread looting.

Grenadine authorities secured buildings in the capital, St George's, while residents roamed the streets on foot or in cars with smashed windshields looking for scarce water, food and gasoline.

Authorities said 90 per cent of homes were damaged when Ivan struck last Tuesday.