Widespread evacuations have been continuing in Mexico, Cuba and Florida as Hurricane Wilma nears the Gulf of Mexico.
The storm, is now located 275km southeast of Cozumel in Mexico and has weakened to a Category Four hurricane.
Yesterday it became the fiercest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane ever recorded as it churned toward western Cuba and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.
Wilma's top winds have weakened to 230 km/h, with higher gusts, but forecasters at the US National Hurricane Center said it could strengthen again.
Wilma is expected to miss the oil and gas facilities in the Gulf of Mexico but experts say the storm is still likely to cross southern Florida as a formidable hurricane at the weekend.
Florida has already been hit by hurricanes Dennis, Katrina and Rita this year.
