Hurricane Tomas batters Caribbean

Описание

<p> Hurricane Tomas has barrelled through a cluster of eastern Caribbean islands, after passing over Barbados where it knocked down power lines and damaged houses as a tropical storm. </p><p> The US National Hurricane Centre in Miami said Tomas strengthened on Saturday night with 90 miles-per-hour winds and was centered about 45 miles west-southwest of St. Lucia. </p><p> Tomas, the Atlantic season's 12th hurricane, is expected to drop up to 6 inches of rain in the region. </p><p> Forecasters said it could become a Category 2 storm on Monday evening and possibly reach Category 3 by midweek, with winds around 115 mph. </p><p> It was forecast to head toward Jamaica and could unleash heavy rains in southern portions of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which is struggling to recover from a devastating earthquake and cope with a recent cholera outbreak. </p>