Just three weeks after Hurricane Katrina cut a deadly path through the Gulf of Mexico, Tropical Storm Rita is approaching the United States.

This time, the Florida Keys are in the front line, with thousands of tourists and residents ordered to evacuate.

Some prefer to take their chances, staying put and doing what they can to protect their properties while stocking up on supplies that could prove vital as Rita gathers strength.

A state of emergency has been declared.

As well as southern Florida, hurricane warnings are in effect for the northwest islands of the Bahamas and northwestern Cuba.

Experts say Rita is likely to become a major hurricane with winds of over 170 kilometres per hour after passing over the Florida Keys later today.

It is feared areas devastated by Katrina could once again be hit.

Oil companies only just starting to recover from that disaster have begun to evacuate rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

It comes as fears of another hurricane helped raise the price of US light crude by more than four dollars a barrel.

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