At least 50 people were shot dead when a gunman wielding an assault-type rifle and a handgun opened fire inside a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday.

A hurricane warning prompted a rush on petrol stations early today in south-east Florida, where people were advised to stock up on necessities and take safety precautions ahead of Tropical Storm Katrina.

WITH Florida firmly in its sights, Hurricane Jeanne bore down on the Bahamas with violent winds and drenching rains last night threatening more destruction on islands still recovering from Hurricane Frances.

A revitalised Hurricane Jeanne was tonight on a path for the Bahamas and then on to the Atlantic coast of Florida, a state still reeling from three earlier storms.

Nearly half a million people were ordered to evacuate as Hurricane Frances swirled toward Florida today just three weeks after Charley’s devastating visit, threatening to deliver the most powerful double punch to hit a state in at least a century.