Hurricane downgraded

Hurricane Gustav was downgraded back to a tropical storm on 27 August 2008 after it made landfall in Haiti as a Category 1 hurricane. As of 0900 UTC, the storm was located 80 mi/125 km west of Port-au-Prince. The storm has maximum sustained winds near 60 mph/52 kt with higher gusts and is moving west-northwest at 5 mph/4.3 kt. According to meteorologists at Wilkens Weather technologies, the storm will likely strengthen as it moves over Cuba. The Cuban government has evacuated residents in low-lying areas of the Holguin province. The storm is expected to move into the Gulf of Mexico on 30 August and could disrupt oil and gas production. The storm has caused significant rainfall over parts of Haiti, the Dominican Republican, eastern Cuba and the Cayman Islands. Reports indicate that mudslides have killed approximately a dozen people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. There were reports of flooding in Les Cayes, which is located approximately 100 mi/160 km southeast of Port-au-Prince. Reports indicate that hundreds of protesters ignored a government order to seek shelter. The protesters threw rocks before U.N. peacekeepers fired tear gas to disperse them. The Haitian government has not yet been able to fully assess the extent of the damage; however, the storm will likely worsen the humanitarian situation and prompt further protests.