Hurricane Isidore headed for Keys

HAVANA -- Hurricane Isidore gathered strength and moved slowly Thursday toward Cuba's western tip and its small Isle of Youth, prompting the government to board up schools and move tens of thousands of people to safer areas.\nIsidore, the second Atlantic hurricane of the 2002 season, was expected to drench Cuba's western half through the weekend, with a possible 2 feet of rain, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.\nHurricane strength winds extended up to 15 miles out from its center and a hurricane warning was in effect, the second Atlantic hurricane of the 2002 season, across central and western Cuba.\nAt 8 p.m. EDT, Hurricane Isidore's center was about 75 miles southeast of the Isle of Youth and south of the main island, Miami forecasters said. It was about 160 miles south of Havana.\nThey said Isidore was moving west-northwest near 8 mph and was expected to stay on that track for another 24 hours, putting it over or near the Isle of Youth early Friday.\nIsidore's maximum wind speeds reached 80 mph Thursday afternoon, with higher gusts, forecasters said. Tropical storms become hurricanes when sustained wind speeds reach 74 mph.\n"Anything in the Gulf of Mexico is a potential target in the next six or seven days," said James Franklin, hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami.