Hurricane Ike ripped through the Caribbean in early September 2008, adding to the season's storm death toll in Haiti and pounding Cuba twice.

Ike pushed up the death toll in storm-battered Haiti by at least 70, on top of more than 600 killed in the weeks before by Tropical Storm Hanna and Hurricane Gustav. AlertNet has a Haiti floods briefing.

The storm hit eastern and central Cuba on Sept. 7 and then turned back to swipe the western side of the island two days later. Cuba, proud of its hurricane alert system and efficient evacuations, evacuated more than 2.5 million people - about 22 percent of the country's 11.4 million population - and escaped with a death toll you could count on the fingers of one hand.

The storm damaged at least 200,000 Cuban homes - including 30,000 that were destroyed - when it blasted across the Isle of Youth and westernmost province of Pinar del Rio, which was still reeling after being hit by Hurricane Gustav on Aug 30. State media said the number of houses damaged by the two storms together was 320,000.

Officials said Cuba already had a shortage of about 500,000 homes. The storm partly or completely toppled at least 65 buildings in beautiful but crumbling Havana.

Ike had already battered the Dominican Republic and southern Bahamas and torn roofs off houses when it hit Britain's Turks and Caicos Islands as a ferocious Category 4 hurricane.

Big waves and storm surges were expected to subside the day after the storm hit Cuba's east, but heavy rains in the west continued, causing widespread flooding and the threat of flash floods.

Ike also hit Texas on Sept. 13, killing at least 30 people and devastating the island city of Galveston, before heading north.

Overall, Ike cut power to more than 7.7 million homes and businesses in the United States as it cut a destructive path all the way to New York.

FOOD SHORTAGE WARNING

In Cuba, the government says Ike and Gustav have caused $5 billion in damage, the worst destruction in the island's history.

A third of Cuba's agriculture has been destroyed, including nearly all its sugarcane.

Cuba has warned of impending food shortages and says it has adopted measures to speed up production and ensure fair distribution of available food.

These include salvaging as much food as possible from fallen crops and damaged warehouses, dispersing dampened fertilizer before it becomes unusable and planting crops that mature quickly.

Cuba, which imports a large percentage of its food, was already struggling with soaring fuel and import prices before the storms hit.

Countries including Russia, Spain, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Honduras and Colombia have sent goods, and Cuba has accepted an offer of $3.5 million in aid from the United Nations.

But the government rejected offers of up to $5 million in U.S. aid in protest at the U.S. trade embargo. The United States later said it had given $2 million through humanitarian agencies.

Washington refused Cuba's request to temporarily lift its trade embargo - in place for 46 years - so that it could buy what it needed.