Hurricane Ike May Strike Southeastern U.S.

Hurricane Ike attaining Category 4 force on Thursday.

Residents of Florida and the Bahamas began to cast a cautious eye toward strengthening Hurricane Ike on Thursday as the “extremely dangerous” storm began to show signs that it might strike the region within about a week’s time.

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency urged residents of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina to develop emergency plans and prepare survival kits that include medicine, food, water and batteries to support themselves for 72 hours should the storm strike.

Some computer models predicted that the Category 4 storm might earlier bring additional downpours to Haiti, which has already been devastated by three previous storms within the last month.

Well to the east of Ike, Tropical Storm Josephine began to weaken on Thursday, with sustained winds at 50 mph.

It was located about 520 miles (840 km) west of the southernmost Cape Verde islands, moving west-northwest.

Josephine was not expected to affect any land areas within the following week.

Hurricane Ike Track
Tropical Storm Josephine Track

Satellite Loop: University of Wisconsin
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