States braced for hurricane

HURRICANE DENNIS closed in on the Gulf Coast last night with battering waves and high winds after strengthening into a dangerous Category 4 storm, roaring toward a region still patching up damage from a hurricane 10 months ago.

More than 100 miles ahead of the eye of the storm, rain blew sideways and wind exceeded 45mph in some spots this morning and rolling waves pounded piers and beaches.

Landfall was expected late last night somewhere along the coast of north-western Florida, Alabama or Mississippi, where nearly 1.4 million people were under evacuation orders and some towns were almost deserted.