(by Mark Riley)

As soon as tomorrow morning Category 5 Hurricane Ivan may reach south-east of the U.S., hurricane watchers predict.

The hurricane may hit Louisiana on the west to St. Marks, Florida on the east, and New Orleans. “The area of most concern is from the eastern coast of Louisiana to the Florida panhandle,” said Hector Guerrero, meteorologist at the hurricane center.

“For the first time ever in the history of the organization, we started doing catastrophic planning, and New Orleans was the first place we did that kind of planning,” said Michael Brown, a U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency Director.

Cuba also has the warning of the hurricane approach. For instance, the biggest foreign producer of oil and gas in Cuba Sherritt International Corp. cut nickel and agricultural production on the island and sent some of its workers to shelters.

Florida declared a state of emergency as Ivan may hit it too. If it happens, it will be the first case within 40 years for 3 hurricanes to strike it. Florida is expected to spend at least $2 billion of its $6 billion catastrophe fund to pay for damages from the two prior storms, Charley and Frances, within the additional threat of Ivan.

The International Monetary Fund said it will lend undetermined amount of money to hurricane-ravaged Caribbean countries.