HAVANA (AP) -- Hurricane Ike roared south of Cuba's densely populated capital of fragile aging buildings after tearing across the island nation, ravaging homes, killing at least four people and forcing 1.2 million to evacuate.

Residents in Texas and northern Mexico braced for Ike's next wallop.
Winds howled and heavy rains fell across Havana, where streets were empty of cars and people Tuesday morning.

Cuba, which has carried out well-executed evacuations over the years, ordered hundreds of thousands of people -- more than a tenth of its 11 million people -- to seek safety with friends and relatives or at government shelters, state television reported.

"I feel safe here, above all for my granddaughters who are the most important thing in my life," said Marta Molas, who evacuated to a government shelter in Havana with seven relatives. "They take good care of us, we have television and food. ... When the electricity goes out we have a radio."