(23 Sep 1998) Span/Eng/Nat
At least 12 people have been reported dead as Hurricane Georges blasted into the capital Santo Domingo causing heavy damage and flooding.
Hurricane Georges is one of the most powerful storms to hit the Caribbean in years and the army has enforced a curfew in Santo Domingo to stop looting and street violence.
In Florida and Cuba residents prepared for the onslaught of the storm by boarding up their houses and buying food in bulk.
In the Dominican Republic, east of Haiti, soldiers have enforced a curfew in the capital of Santo Domingo after Georges ravaged the nation.
At least 12 people were killed by the storm, which also unleashed looting and street violence.
Of those 12 official deaths, two apparently were looters shot to death by police.
Hurricane Georges caught Santo Domingo, on the south coast, almost entirely unprepared on Tuesday since forecasters had expected it to hit the northern Dominican coast.
City officials didn't open shelters until hours after strong winds and heavy bursts of rain had reached the capital.
People continued to stream into shelters even as the full force of Georges hit.
Authorities said 80 percent of the roads in Santo Domingo were impassable because of downed trees and power lines and widespread flooding.
Winds of up to 110 mph (180 kph) tore through the city ripping up trees, toppling power lines, and ripping roofs off homes.
In Florida preparations were underway for the onslaught.
All residents of the Florida Keys were ordered to begin evacuating on Wednesday ahead of the imminent arrival of Hurricane Georges.
The mandatory evacuation began with Key West and the other lower Keys in the early hours of the morning and officials planned to apply the order along the island chain in phases.
Residents who choose to ignore the evacuation order will be left on their own.
In other parts of South Florida residents prepared for the onslaught of the storm by boarding up their homes with plywood panels and shutters.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
Q: Are you nervous?
A: Ah...now I am. Especially my first new home. I sure am. That's why we're going through all this."
SUPER CAPTION: Voxpop
Governor Lawton Chiles declared a state of emergency in central and southern Florida, allowing the state to use the National Guard, lift road tolls along evacuation routes and purchase emergency supplies.
On the mainland, Broward County declared its own state of emergency and Miami-Dade County was expected to do the same.
By the time Georges gets close to South Florida, the fastest wind could top 96 miles per hour (155 kilometres per hour).
The news led Cuban President Fidel Castro to put his ministers on full alert on Wednesday also.
Warnings were declared in Cuba from the Sancti Spiritus province eastward - essentially the eastern half of the island.
In the easternmost provinces of Guantanamo, Santiago, Olguin and Las Tunas, volunteer work teams were helping farmers harvest any remaining crops.
Many people have cleared their houses, trees pruned and ditches dug in preparation.
As the storm nears, people will be evacuated with the help of the military, as necessary.
Castro said the armed forces would help in getting medicine, food and any other help to hurricane victims once Georges has passed.
SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"The armed forces are all ready to help the population. It's an immediate measure that we have to take. We have to help those who are in danger. No one knows how much it is going to rain."
SUPER CAPTION: Fidel Castro, Cuban President
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