People stand in front of the international airport after all flights, in and out, were cancelled due to Hurricane Gustav in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday. Gustav barrelled into Haiti, toppling trees, dumping rain and sending fuel prices soaring on fears the storm could become 'extremely dangerous' when it reaches the Gulf of Mexico. - AP

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP):

Floodwaters surged across southern Haiti yesterday, forcing hundreds of people from their homes in the wake of Hurricane Gustav, which killed at least three people before weakening to a tropical storm and creeping toward Cuba.

The United States National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm could regain hurricane strength soon and forecasts suggested it could head toward the US Gulf Coast as a dan-gerous Category Three hurricane next week.

That could mean higher gasolene prices for drivers around the world. Global oil prices rose by US$1.40 early Wednesday to above US$117 a barrel on concerns the storm could disrupt output in the Gulf, home to a quarter of US crude production.

Workers

Royal Dutch Shell PLC said it could begin evacuating workers as soon as Wednesday.

Gustav's maximum sustained winds were near 60 mph (95 kph) Wednesday morning, with higher gusts. The storm was centred about 90 miles (150 kilometres) west of Port-au-Prince and was moving toward the Northwest. It was expected to continue moving toward the west-northwest.

A hurricane warning was in effect for parts of Cuba, including the US military base at Guan-tanamo Bay, and base spokesman Bruce Lloyd said it was preparing for any emergencies.

As a hurricane, Gustav caused a deadly landslide and dumped torrential rains on southern Haiti, which is prone to devastating floods because its mountainous terrain has been stripped of trees for farming and charcoal.

Landslide

At least three people have been confirmed dead, including a man killed in a landslide in the mountain town of Benet, civil protection director Marie Alta Jean-Baptiste said. Details about the other deaths were not immediately available.

Authorities said hundreds have been driven from their homes by flooding.

Gustav roared

Flooding was also reported near the southern coast city of Jacmel, where Gustav roared ashore Tuesday afternoon with top sustained winds near 90 mph (145 kph). Rising waters surrounded palm trees that had been kicked over by the storm and reached the city's trademark Victorian-style wooden buildings.

Flooding was also reported in coastal Les Cayes, where demon-strators ignored government warnings to seek shelter and threw rocks to protest the high cost of living in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country. Witnesses said UN peacekeepers used tear gas to disperse the crowd.