Gustav Stalls Over Haiti, Death Toll 11

Oil Prices Rise As Storm Heads Towards Gulf, Could Regain Hurricane Strength

(CBS/AP)  Floodwaters surged across southern Haiti on Wednesday and forced hundreds of people from their homes in the wake of Hurricane Gustav, which killed at least eleven people before weakening to a tropical storm and creeping toward Cuba.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm could regain hurricane strength soon and forecasts suggested it could head toward the U.S. Gulf Coast as a dangerous Category 3 hurricane next week.

That could mean higher gasoline prices for drivers around the world. Global oil prices rose by $1.40 early Wednesday to above $117 a barrel on concerns the storm could disrupt output in the Gulf, home to a quarter of U.S. crude production.

Royal Dutch Shell PLC said it could begin evacuating workers as soon as Wednesday.

If the storm continues on its path, it could drive up U.S. gasoline prices by 10 cents a gallon ahead of Labor Day weekend, predicted James Cordier, president of Tampa, Florida-based Liberty Trading Group and OptionSellers.com.

Gustav's maximum sustained winds were near 60 mph Wednesday morning, with higher gusts. The storm was centered about 90 miles west of Port-au-Prince and was expected to continue moving toward the west-northwest.

A hurricane warning was in effect for parts of Cuba, including the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, and base spokesman Bruce Lloyd said it was preparing for any emergencies.

Jamaica issued a tropical storm warning Wednesday and also remained under a hurricane watch along with the Cayman Islands. A watch means hurricane conditions are possible within 36 hours.

As a hurricane, Gustav caused a deadly landslide and dumped torrential rains on southern Haiti, which is prone to devastating floods because its mountainous terrain has been stripped of trees for farming and charcoal.

At least eleven people have been confirmed dead due to the storm, including a man killed in a landslide in the mountain town of Benet, civil protection director Marie Alta Jean-Baptiste said.

Eight people died in a landslide in the Dominican Republic capital of Santa Domingo. The civil defense agency director Luis Luna Paulino said the victims who died overnight were members of one family. He said more than 5,000 people across the country have been evacuated as a result of the storm.

Details about the other deaths were not immediately available.

Hundreds have been driven from their homes by flooding. Rising waters surrounded palm trees near the southern coast city of Jacmel that had been kicked over by the storm and reached the city's trademark Victorian-style wooden buildings.

The storm lingered into the night over Haiti's poor, deforested southern peninsula, and water levels were rising in banana, bean and vegetable fields. Cars pushed through standing water in the streets of Port-au-Prince, as fallen trees and landslides blocked a major road out of the capital.

Hundreds of people in coastal Les Cayes ignored government warnings to seek shelter, instead throwing rocks to protest the high cost of living in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country. Witnesses said U.N. peacekeepers used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Haiti is a tinderbox because of soaring food prices, which in April led to deadly protests and the ouster of the nation's prime minister. It was difficult to ascertain the extent of the damage from the hurricane to the nation's crops on Tuesday because of Haiti's poor infrastructure and faulty communications.

"If the rain continues, we'll be flooded," U.N. food consultant Jean Gardy said Tuesday from the southeastern town of Marigot.

At Port-au-Prince's airport, stranded travelers mobbed the American Airlines counter, desperate to rebook tickets after the airline canceled all flights.

"I knew it was coming, but I was hoping to be out before it came," said Jody Stoltzfus, a 27-year-old missionary who had planned a visit home to Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

[lewiston14]

Why is Haiti so impoverished? Is it the people, The Climate, Crops do not grow well there, the Government, of another outside influence?

[mjvw2]

Over water again, gaining strength, headed towards New Orleans. Think anyone down there is paying attention?

I doubt it.

[a1ajj]

Yes we are paying attention! Thanks for your positive attitude!

[mbcsmith]

HEY NEW ORLEANS!

CAT 3 STORM BY MONDAY

GET OUT OF THE WAY THIS TIME!

[haoli25]

Wash, rinse, and repeat.

[westbanker2]

Those of you who think that the people of New Orleans are not watching this storm or any storm that is out there are crazy. Some of the comments that have been put on this blog are not necessary, and sound really mean from my point of view. Yes we see the storm coming and no one wants to endure another Katrina, Rita, Betsy or any storm for that matter, but I think that until you have gone through what we have that if you can''t say something nice then don''t say anything at all. --- The comment to get out the way this time and do you think the people of New Orleans are watching or paying attention what do you think!!!

[hawksprings]

Hey Nagin, get those school buses started this time.
Or you just gonna whine about Bush again?
Loser.

[hawksprings]

"Why is Haiti so impoverished? Is it the people, The Climate, Crops do not grow well there, the Government, of another outside influence?"
Posted by lewiston14

Haiti has a very, very corrupt government. That''s the biggest reason for the poverty.

[lewiston14]

Thanks Hawk. I do not know much about Haiti other then it gets hit by alot of storms

[xlib]

One track has the storm as a catagory 5, same as Katrina. Let''s see, they had 4 days warning for Katrina and 6 days for this one. Wanna bet not a *** thing will be done by nagin or the rest of the corrupt NO government.

[xmanborg]

Get Ready to evacuate New Orleans Gustav is going to be in your back yard on Monday.

Gustav is going to be just another reason for gas prices to spike. So fill up on Friday and Sunday night because Gas Prices will probably go up.

[mjvw2]

Haiti has a very, very corrupt government. That''''s the biggest reason for the poverty.

Posted by HawkSprings

Kind of like New Orleans

[kennedy7955]

Will anyone be able to tell the difference between before and after the storm?

[jamesetling]

It may be Tampa that gets it this time. But the lower elements of Tampa will be smart enough to not stick around for looting like they did in New Orleans.

[tothestars2]

Nagin and New Orleans will ignore the warnings this time as they did the last. It would be nice to see a forced evacuation using the military this time. Then let them scream how Bush did something this time.