Cuba battened down against a strengthening Hurricane Charley on Thursday as hundreds of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate Florida's Gulf of Mexico coast. Charley's sustained winds rose to 105 mph (170 kph) as it hammered the northern Caribbean. Officials in Florida's St. Petersburg-Clearwater area told 350,000 people to leave beach communities, mobile home parks and other vulnerable areas in advance of Charley's expected arrival on Friday. Cuban authorities have evacuated thousands and were prepared to move up to 200,000, depending on the storm's path. Tropical Storm Bonnie faded as it hit shore and moved through the Florida Panhandle toward Georgia, threatening floods in an area already soaked by recent rains. Charley was expected to hit Cuba full force on Thursday night and to pass near the capital, Havana. Florida's popular tourist island, Key West, 90 miles (145 km) north of Cuba, could see hurricane conditions within a day. Jamaican authorities said one person was killed as Charley swept south of the island on Wednesday. The man drowned while trying to rescue a group of people from floodwaters in the village of Big Woods in St. Elizabeth parish. --more 2218 Local Time 1918 GMT
