Many flee Turks and Caicos as 'Ike' approaches

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Hurricane Ike barreled toward the Turks and Caicos as a powerful Category 3 storm Saturday, prompting an exodus of tourists and even longtime residents from the normally idyllic Atlantic island chain. People said they were eager to flee after Hanna pummeled the islands for four days as a much weaker storm earlier in the week, knocking down trees and light poles and flooding low-lying islands. "I've been here 13 years and Hanna was the strongest thing we've had," Dierin Longmire said as she checked in at the airport. "It shook me up." Longmire said she has been monitoring the storm's progress closely as it approached from the east in what seems like a direct line toward Turks and Caicos and the southern Bahamas. The Baltimore native decided to start her vacation to Asia earlier than usual. "I have a feeling it's going to be bad," she said.