Hurricane Ike turns away from Florida Keys

Associated Press

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HURRICANE DAMAGE: A car sits under rubble after Hurricane Ike hit in Holguin, Cuba. Ike, which raked the Bahamas and worsened floods in Haiti that have killed 321 people, made landfall on Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane, then weakened MOnday to a Category 1 as it ran along the length of the Carribean's largest island.

Associated Press

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PASSING THE TIME: Melissa Witt of Key West, Fla., reads a book on Anne Frank at a Red Cross shelter in Miami. Gulf Coast residents from Florida to Texas are keeping an eye on Hurricane Ike's part. The storm has killed dozens in Haiti. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that, after passing into the Gulf of Mexico sometime tonight, Ike could make landfall over the weekend near the Texas-Louisiana border.

The governors of Texas and Louisiana are taking precautions.

KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — Residents in the Florida Keys breathed a sigh of relief Monday as a fierce Hurricane Ike turned west on a path away from the low-lying island chain. But Gulf Coast states watched anxiously to see if the storm was gunning for them instead.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that, after passing into the Gulf of Mexico sometime tonight, Ike could make landfall in the U.S. over the weekend near the Texas-Louisiana border, possibly not far from Houston.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry pre-declared disasters in 88 counties to aid storm preparation and put 7,500 National Guard members on standby.

In Louisiana, where thousands remain without power after Hurricane Gustav hit last week, Gov. Bobby Jindal urged residents to start stockpiling food, water, batteries and other supplies. The state also was readying shelters and making plans for trains, buses and planes in case a coastal evacuation is called later in the week.

“It is still too early to be evacuating certainly, but it is not too early to be making sure you’ve got food and water and batteries. It’s not too early to be checking your car,” Jindal said.

With the storm on a new track, Keys officials let an evacuation order expire Monday. By late afternoon Ike had weakened to a Category 1 storm, and a hurricane watch for the island chain was discontinued.

Ike is still supposed to deliver heavy rain and wind, and authorities suggested residents who had left stay away until Wednesday. They said those who stayed behind should remain inside, and tourists should wait for the weekend to return. Roughly 20,000 tourists left over the weekend when it looked like Ike could make a direct hit.

Many storm-hardened locals just rode out the hype the way they usually do — drinking. Key West residents are a hardy bunch, generations of whom have lived through storms. They typically take a wait-and-see stance.

“Us folks have lived here for years. We worry but we always think it will be OK,” said 80-year-old Barbara Kellner while walking her dog. “And we see the weather report today, and it appears it all will be OK.”

Ike roared down Cuba’s spine Monday and toward the island’s densely populated capital of fragile historic buildings after ravaging homes, forcing 1.2 million people to evacuate and killing at least four.

In Havana, where the hurricane was expected to unleash heavy winds and rain by Tuesday morning, evacuations began in earnest late Monday afternoon.