Jamaica Feeling Near-Hurricane Gustav

Jamaica was feeling the approach of near-hurricane strength Tropical Storm Gustav midday Thursday, U.S. forecasters in Miami said.

Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said at 11 a.m., Gustav was about 45 miles east of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 350 miles east-southeast of Grand Cayman. A hurricane watch was in effect for all of the Cayman Islands.

Sustained winds had increased to near 70 mph, just below the hurricane threshold of 74 mph, and winds extended 60 miles around the center.

Forecasters said Gustav’s center would hit Jamaica Thursday and warned of coastal storm surge flooding of 1 to 3 feet above normal tide levels and as much as 12 inches of rain for Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.

Wednesday, officials in Haiti and the Dominican Republic reported at least 22 people were killed by flooding and landslides when Gustav hit Hispaniola as a Category 1 hurricane.

U.S. forecasters said the storm would likely regain hurricane status as it moved over warm waters toward the west at 6 mph on Thursday.

While Gustav’s ultimate path wasn’t certain, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency Wednesday and mobilized 3,000 National Guard troops, The Times-Picayune newspaper in New Orleans reported.