Ike roars into Cuba, rips apart homes

CAMAGUEY, Cuba: Hurricane Ike ripped apart houses and toppled trees as it roared across Cuba toward Havana yesterday.

It could enter the Gulf of Mexico as a category 3 hurricane next, with Louisiana among the likely targets, forecasters said.

At least 900,000 Cubans were evacuated to shelters or higher ground before Ike struck. It had already devastated the Bahamas and worsened floods in Haiti that have claimed more than 300 lives.