Jamaica and Louisiana brace for Gustav

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Tropical storm Gustav, which we reported Thursday was heading toward the Gulf Coast, swamped eastern Jamaica Thursday on a path to hit the Cayman Islands with winds near hurricane force. Louisiana called a state of emergency and put the National Guard on standby, hoping to avoid the chaos of Hurricane Katrina three years ago.

Gustav swirled away from the island of Hispaniola, reports the Associated Press, where it killed 23 people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and closed in on Jamaica’s low-lying capital, about 40 miles to the west. Forecasters said Gustav could hit Jamaica as a hurricane and perhaps hit Grand Cayman tonight.

Read more about tropical storm Gustav here.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City