In the News Cayman Islanders flee to rooftops Ivan continues to spread misery throughout Caribbean Hurricane Ivan is seen over the Cayman Islands in this NOAA satellite image taken Sunday. Sunday, September 12, 2004 Posted: 10:35 PM EDT (0235 GMT) GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (Reuters) -- Cayman Islanders clambered onto rooftops and kitchen tables Sunday to escape surging the floodwaters of Hurricane Ivan. A monster storm packing 150 mph (240 kph) winds, Ivan tore off roofs, produced waves the size of two-story buildings and submerged an airport runway as it roared past Grand Cayman -- the largest of the three British-held islands that make up the wealthy offshore finance center of 45,000 people. Panicked residents climbed on kitchen counters to escape a waist-high storm surge that swept at least a half-mile (about one kilometer) inland. Some said the winds sounded like a locomotive. Ham radio operators reported that people were standing on rooftops to escape the water, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. "They pretty much got the worst of it," said Michael Formosa, a meteorologist at the center. On one of the three islands, tiny Cayman Brac, residents packed into caves for shelter. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the Caymans, but Ivan killed at least 17 people in Jamaica and caused severe flooding and mudslides when it brushed past Friday night and Saturday. The latest victim was a woman in a wheel chair who could not escape a fire sparked by a faulty generator. While damage was extensive, the island of 2.7 million people appeared to have been spared the total havoc wrought last Tuesday on Grenada, where the government said 17 people also died after 90 percent of the tiny spice island's buildings were damaged or destroyed. Fallen trees, utility poles, flooding or landslides blocked at least 40 roads in Jamaica, and 12,000 people were gathered in hundreds of shelters, where food was beginning to run short. The southeastern parish of St. Thomas suffered tremendous damage but could not be reached, officials said. Looting, which erupted as the storm hit, appeared under control, the island's emergency management service said. At Portland Cottage west of the capital Kingston, hardly a roof was left intact and dead animals littered the ground. Residents cleaned furniture of mud and hung clothes out to dry in the open Sunday as they made shelters from metal sheets. Ivan was headed for tobacco-growing regions of western Cuba on Monday and then toward the United States. Cuba evacuated 1.3 million people -- more than a 10th of its population -- from coastal areas and flimsy buildings and prepared for torrential rains of 12 inches (30 centimeters). But the storm appeared set to miss the capital Havana and spare its 2.5 million people. "People are playing dominoes in the street on my block, and drinking rum," said a central Havana resident. Instead, the most powerful hurricane to threaten Cuba in living memory could wreak havoc among the tobacco curing sheds in Pinar del Rio. "We fear Ivan will demolish everything. Luckily we have not planted yet," said Carlos Robaina, son of legendary Cuban tobacco grower Alejandro Robaina. Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula also braced for possible high winds. Emergency services began evacuating up to 12,000 residents and tourists from low-lying Isla Mujeres island, a laid back resort of white beaches and turquoise waters eight miles (13 kilometers) from the resort of Cancun. As Ivan continued to batter the Caribbean, aid was pouring into devastated Grenada, where two-thirds of the 90,000 people were homeless, said Jill St. John of the Red Cross. Ivan's rampage through the Caribbean has killed at least 42 people. In addition to the deaths in Grenada and Jamaica, four people died in Venezuela and four in the Dominican Republic. Copyright 2004 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Dear All, We regret to inform you that Hurricane Ivan has devastated the Cayman Islands. This category 5 Hurricane generated tremendous storm surge, sustained winds reported at 165 mph and gusts at 260 mph causing catastrophic damage. We have received many emails and calls of concern, condolences, prayers, and love. In an effort to provide relief for the island, Tortuga Imports' Miami Warehouse is accepting donations for the following items: Canned Foods (including soup) Can Openers Water Bread Baby Formula Diapers Tissue Napkins Plastic Utensils/Plates/Cups/Buckets Medical Supplies Generators Satellite Phones Non-perishable Milk Stove Top Ranges Drinks Candles BBQ Grills & Coal Cleaning Supplies (Garbage bags, broom, etc.) Tarps & Tents Pens & Paper Transistor Radios Battery Powered Lanterns Water Filtration Systems Blankets Plywood Batteries Chainsaws To help, please bring or send these items to: Cayman Islands Hurricane Relief Efforts C/O Tortuga Imports, Inc. 14202 S.W. 142 Avenue Miami, FL 33186 Phone: (305) 378-6668 Toll free: 1-877-486-7884 Monetary donations are now being accepted. Please make you check or money order payable to: CAYMAN ISLAND GOVERNMENT Send to: C/O Tortuga Rum Co. Ltd. P.O. Box 2307GT Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands B.W.I. Everything helps, even 1 can of food. Your continued prayers and support for the Cayman Islands are needed and appreciated. We thank you for taking the time out from your busy schedules to make a donation. Cayman Islands/Hurricane Ivan Message Board     Special thanks for donated building supplies and locking door hardware from Doorware.com.