Hurricane Ike roared south of Cuba's densely populated capital of fragile historic buildings after forcing 1.2 million Cubans to evacuate, killing at least four and ravaging homes across the island nation. Residents in Texas and northern Mexico braced for Ike's next wallop. Winds howled and heavy rains fell across Havana, where streets were empty of cars and people Tuesday morning. Cuba, which has carried out well-executed evacuations over the years, ordered hundreds of thousands of people to seek safety with friends and relatives or at government shelters, state television reported. “I feel safe here, above all for my granddaughters who are the most important thing in my life,” said Marta Molas, who evacuated with seven relatives from her Havana home. “They take good care of us, we have television and food. ... When the electricity goes out we have a radio.” The government closed schools and government offices in the capital as people reinforced windows with wood and formed long lines at bakeries. Along the seaside Malecon promenade, businesses were shut down. “The truth is, we are scared,” said Nancy Nazal, who lives on the second floor of a high-rise apartment building overlooking the ocean. State television reported that Ike killed four people in Cuba – the island's first storm deaths this year. Two men were killed removing an antenna from a roof, a woman died when her home collapsed and a man was killed by a falling tree. No one was killed when Gustav tore across western Cuba as a monstrous Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 30, damaging 100,000 homes and causing billions of dollars in damage. That was largely because 250,000 people were evacuated. Ike was pounding the same area hit by Gustav, and Cuban meteorologist Jose Rubiera urged residents to be very careful. “We must be careful with the winds, and the rubble that can be kicked up by the gusts,” he said on state television. Evacuations are not mandatory in Cuba except for pregnant women and small children.
