Emily Drops by Grenada; Could Hit U.S. Next Week

The country of Grenada got a first-hand view of Hurricane Emily Thursday, as the storm hit the island with winds of 90 mph. Forecasters say the storm, following shortly after her brother, Dennis, will likely next hit Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.

In Grenada, people moved to shelters or rode out the storm in their homes on Wednesday. As a precaution, the government had declared a state of emergency. The country is still reeling from Hurricane Ivan last year, which left many homes damaged or destroyed, and killed more than three dozen people.

At 5 a.m. Thursday, the center of Hurricane Emily was situated some 45 miles northwest of Grenada, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Meantime, officials in the United States are keeping a close eye on the storm, which could hit the Gulf Coast area early next week. Portions of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi are still drying out from Hurricane Dennis, which hit the areas over the weekend. That storm killed a number of people in Haiti and Cuba en route to the U.S.