Worldwatch

In The Eye Of Ivan
After skirting the western coasts of Cuba and the Cayman Islands, Hurricane Ivan dialed up its ferocity for two heart-stopping days last week, squeezing through the narrow channel that separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico as a monstrous Category 5 storm with winds approaching 260 km/h. Fortunately, by the time Ivan made landfall in the U.S. state of Alabama, its winds had gentled to 210 km/h — but that was plenty bad enough. Those who rode out the storm told harrowing tales of cringing in the dark and hearing winds...