Havana begins evacuations as Hurricane Gustav looms

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba on Saturday began evacuating residents of low-lying areas of Havana and from dilapidated old buildings that might not be able to withstand a severe storm as Hurricane Gustav strengthened and surged closer.

Many colonial-era buildings in Old Havana are considered extremely vulnerable to storms. Gustav, a dangerously powerful Category 4 hurricane, was not expected to make a direct hit on Havana, but the city of one million could expect at a minimum to feel tropical storm-force winds, U.S. forecasters said.

(Reporting by Marc Frank; Editing by Michael Christie)