Hurricane Ike ripped through the southern Bahamas as a Category 3 storm and added to the misery and death toll in storm-battered Haiti on Sept. 8., 2008, on top of more than 600 killed in the weeks before by Tropical Storm Hanna and Hurricane Gustav.

Ike weakened but went on to pound northeastern Cuba with 105 mile per hour (165 kph) winds, torrential rains and massive waves. It could slow further to a Category 1 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson intensity scale as it runs the 700-mile (1,125 km) island, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Cuban officials said at least 1.1 million people were evacuated ahead of a storm expected to slash through the heart of Cuba, still reeling from Hurricane Gustav's hard hit on the west side of the long, narrow island.

After traversing Cuba, Ike could regain Category 3 strength over the warm Gulf of Mexico waters and point toward Louisiana and Texas.