World / Cuba 1M Cubans Flee Hurricane Paloma By Neal Colgrass, Newser Staff Posted Nov 8, 2008 6:11 PM CST Copied Palm trees and warning flags are blown by strong winds brought by the arrival of Hurricane Paloma in George Town, Grand Cayman, Friday, Nov. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Joanna Lewis) Hurricane Paloma slammed into Cuba today after nearly 1 million people fled the country's southern coast, MSNBC reports. Fidel Castro warned that the Category 4 storm, roaring at up to 145 mph, would likely hobble roads and destroy crops planted after storms struck the island nation this summer. Paloma had already flooded low-lying regions and knocked out power in most of Grand Cayman Island. (More Cuba stories.) Report an error