TAMPA, Florida (AP) _ After roaring across Cuba, Hurricane Charley strengthened to a dangerous Category 4 storm packing 233 kph (145 mph) winds and bore down on Florida's west coast Friday.

State officials urged almost 2 million people to evacuate, but the storm path moved slightly south of the heavily populated Tampa Bay area. An expected massive storm surge could devastate coastal and low-lying areas in the Tampa and St. Petersburg, where many streets were deserted as workers were told to stay home or head to shelters.

Charley is now a major hurricane with winds estimated at 233 kph (145 mph) at its core, said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

If it remains at its current strength, Charley would be the strongest hurricane since the Category 5 Andrew hit south of Miami in 1992.

By noon, the storm's outer bands were already dropping rain on southwestern Florida, a few hours after bringing occasionally heavy wind and rain to the lower Keys as the storm's center passed to the west. Only minor damage was immediately reported.

In Cuba, the storm claimed the lives at least three people and injured four others in its sweep across the island earlier Friday, the nation's top civil defense official said. In Havana, power lines and huge royal palms were downed, some of them blocking roads. Electricity that had been shut down for safety reasons was still not restored more than eight hours later.

Lt. Col. Domingo Carretero reported the casualties in a live early afternoon report on state-run television, but offered no specifics except to say the three deaths occurred in Havana province, which rings the capital.

Chunks of corrugated roof were ripped from the roof of Marlen Perez's modest home.

"The wind was howling and I was screaming, 'Oh my God, oh my God.' Pieces of the roof were falling everywhere," said Perez, 39. "... I thought the walls were falling down."

The storm on Thursday killed a farmer in Jamaica.

Along Florida's western coast, evacuation shelters were filling to capacity Friday morning, as residents and tourists looked for somewhere safe to ride out the storm. This potentially could be the largest evacuation in state history, officials said, and Gov. Jeb Bush urged people in the storm's projected path to keep off highways and roads.

Bush said he had sought a federal disaster declaration from President George W. Bush, his brother, and urged residents to stay wherever they were.

"This is not the time to be getting on the interstate. It is time to seek a safe place to be with family and friends inside of your region," Bush said.

A shelter at Sickles High School in northwestern Tampa was full to its capacity of 500 at the breakfast hour. Windows had been reinforced with screens and tarps to prepare for the storm.

"I'm scared that we're going to go home and nothing is going to be there," 20-year-old Amanda Kellogg said as she played blackjack with four friends, their suitcases, bedding and other possessions piled beside them.

The main airports in Tampa and Sarasota closed at noon, and Tampa's Busch Gardens and Adventure Island theme parks were closed. In the Orlando area, Walt Disney World closed early, while Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando planned to close their parks in the early afternoon.

About 1,000 Florida National Guard members have been activated, and another 1,000 were being called up.

The hurricane was arriving in Florida a day after Tropical Storm Bonnie came ashore in the western part of Florida and quickly moved north. Three people, including a child, were killed and 29 injured Friday when a tornado hit a North Carolina trailer park.

About 6.5 million of Florida's 17 million residents were in Charley's projected path, including about 700,000 elderly people, officials said. Some 1.9 million people were advised to evacuate, although only 1.1 million to 1.5 million were expected to do so before the storm hit, said Kristy Campbell, spokeswoman at the state emergency management center.

The storm surge in the Tampa area could reach up to 16 feet if Charley hits at 120 mph, making it a major hurricane at Category 3 strength, state meteorologist Ben Nelson said.

At 1 p.m. (1700GMT) Friday, the storm was 115 kilometers (70 miles) south-southwest of Fort Myers, moving north-northeast at about 32 kph (20 mph). It was expected to make landfall between 4 and 7 p.m., meteorologists said. Hurricane force wind extended outward 48 kilometers (30 miles) from the eye; tropical storm force wind went out 170 kilometers (105 miles). Gusts were measured at 93 kph (58 mph) in the lower Keys.

All residents of MacDill Air Force Base, on another peninsula in Tampa Bay, were ordered out with only essential personnel remaining. MacDill is home to U.S. Central Command, the nerve center of the war in Iraq.

After Florida, Charley was expected to head north along Georgia's coast, arriving in South Carolina around midday Saturday.

Editor's Note: The latest forecast can be obtained directly from the National Hurricane Center.

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