Hurricane Lili forces 100,000 to evacuate in Cayman Islands

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands -- Hurricane Lili ripped roofs from apartment buildings in the Cayman Islands on Monday and forced 100,000 people to flee their homes as it threatened Cuba. The storm had killed eight people so far.

Lili's eye tore across Cayman Brac, punishing the easternmost of the Cayman Islands with torrential rain and violent winds. It grew from a tropical storm Monday as its winds topped 74 mph.

High winds uprooted trees, knocked out electricity and blew roofs from at least two apartment complexes in Cayman Brac, legislator Lyndon Martin said. About 300 people headed to emergency shelters in Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.

Lili had winds of 80 mph extending out up to 15 miles and tropical storm force winds stretching another 105 miles. Lili's eye was about 25 miles northwest of Little Cayman and it was churning to the west-northwest at 10 mph.

Lili, the fourth hurricane of the Atlantic season, was expected to make a direct hit on western Cuba early Tuesday, first striking the Isle of Youth. A tropical storm is upgraded to a hurricane when its winds reach 74 mph.

The hurricane could strike the U.S. coast in the Gulf of Mexico Thursday or Friday with winds up to 100 mph, said Martin Nelson, lead forecaster at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. He said Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi are likely targets.

Lili will weaken as it passes through Cuba, but will strengthen once again as it emerges in the Gulf of Mexico, Nelson said.