dotted tip of the Yucatan Peninsula until Sunday morning. At the same time, it was pounding the western tip of Cuba, where the government evacuated nearly 370,000 people. Forecasters said Wilma could bring as much as a meter (40 inches) of rain in parts of Cuba. In Florida, emergency officials on Friday issued the first evacuation orders for the mainland, which the storm was expected to reach on Monday. Residents of the Florida Keys were asked to start leaving two days ago. Officials said about 20,000 tourists were at shelters and hotels on the mainland south of Cancun, and an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 in Cancun itself. Mexico's civil defense chief, Carmen Segura, assured their relatives that "their families are protected as they should be." But instead of luxury hotel suites over a turquoise sea, many tourists found themselves sleeping on the floor of hotel ballrooms, schools and gymnasiums reeking of sweat because there was no power or air conditioning. --more 2150 Local Time 1850 GMT
