Sept. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Ike weakened to a Category 3 hurricane as it approached Cuba and charted a course toward the Gulf of Mexico, bringing the region its second major storm in as many weeks.

Ike's winds slowed to about 193 kilometers (120 miles) per hour from about 216 mph earlier today, the National Hurricane Center said at 8 p.m. local time. The system was 100 kilometers north of Guantanamo, Cuba, after passing through the Bahamas. The storm is forecast to sweep across Cuba and move back over water south of the Florida Keys on Sept 9.

Local officials urged the 80,000 residents of the Keys to leave today for the mainland. Cuba is evacuating more than a half-million people from its northeast coast, Agence France- Presse reported, citing local officials.

``I haven't evacuated in 15 years'' David Black, 47, a clerk at the Heron House hotel in Key West, said in a phone interview. ``It's less trouble to just weather the hurricane and if you go to Miami or Orlando, you can get hit by the storm you're running from.''

President George W. Bush declared a state of emergency today in Florida, authorizing at least $5 million in aid and the help of federal disaster officials, the White House said.

Heading for Gulf

Ike is forecast to enter the Gulf of Mexico, home to more than a quarter of U.S. oil production, by midweek. Computer models show it reaching the Gulf's center by the end of the week, heading south of Louisiana and moving toward Texas.

Energy producers reported that personnel from 10 rigs have been evacuated, or about 8.3 percent of the 121 rigs operating in the Gulf, and 202 production platforms have been evacuated, the Minerals Management Service said today in a statement on its Web site. There are about 717 manned production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

Most energy output in the Gulf has been halted since Hurricane Gustav ripped through the area and made landfall in Louisiana on Sept. 1.

Initial indications are that 80 percent of homes on Grand Turk and North Caicos islands suffered damage from Ike, according to a statement from Risk Management Solutions Inc., which quantifies risk for insurers.

``A number of houses lost their roofs, as well as a prison,'' said Stephen Russell, commander of the National Emergency Management Agency in Nassau, Bahamas. ``On Great Inagua, many homes also lost roofs and all phone lines are down.''

A Category 3 hurricane is in the middle of the five-tier Saffir-Simpson scale, and Ike is expected to remain a ``major hurricane'' as it approaches Cuba, the U.S. NHC said.

Urging Evacuations

Officials in Monroe County, where the Keys are located, urged tourists to leave the islands yesterday, said Chuck Mulligan, a spokesman with the Tallahassee-based state Division of Emergency Management.

Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency told reporters in Washington today they had positioned supplies of food and water throughout the Gulf states and are ready to help.

``The Keys and the very southeastern tip of Florida could definitely see some squally-type weather as the storm passes,'' Chuck Caracozza, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami, said in a telephone interview.

Ike may dump as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain on parts of Cuba, the U.S. hurricane center said.

Haiti was devastated by Tropical Storm Hanna during the week, after Gustav and Tropical Storm Fay struck in the past month. Gustav and Hanna killed 577 people in Haiti, AFP said.

As many as 600,000 people may currently need assistance in Haiti, according to the United Nations humanitarian affairs chief John Holmes.

Cuba yesterday urged the U.S. to ease its trade embargo and open private credit lines for food imports into the island in the wake of Gustav, AFP reported.

To contact the reporter on this story: Demian McLean in Washington at dmclean8@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: September 7, 2008 20:45 EDT