At least 51 people died in southwestern Haiti and eight were killed in neighboring Dominican Republic as Gustav, then a tropical storm, passed through Wednesday, officials said.

By Friday, Gustav reached hurricane strength with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (129 kph) as it passed over the Caribbean.

Shortly before 11 p.m. ET, the storm was moving northwest at about 10 mph (17 kph) as it bore down on the Cayman Islands. Hours earlier, it had moved away from Jamaica, where it left downed trees and damaged houses in its wake.

Fear and uncertainty about Gustav's position and strength by Monday sent emergency officials and politicians in the United States scrambling to prepare for a possible landfall of a major hurricane somewhere along the Gulf Coast.

 Source : CNN.com