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Hurricane Dennis raced ashore on the US Gulf Coast on Sunday with ferocious 120-mph (195 kph) winds and pounding waves that lashed an area still scarred by last year's storms. (Photo: Xinhua/AFP)

BEIJING, July 11 -- Hurricane Dennis bore down on the Gulf Coast of the United States on Sunday. Almost two million people were ordered to evacuate before the Category 4 storm made land-fall near Pensacola Sunday afternoon.

    The hurricane was packing winds well over two-hundred kilometres per hour as it headed for land blowing rain sideways and pounding piers and beaches with high waves.

    Some coastal towns in the storm's path are nearly deserted. They're stilll recovering from Hurricane Ivan's devastating blow ten months ago.

    Emergency officials say they have medical, water, food and other supplies in place to respond to hard-hit areas quickly.

    In Florida, Governor Jeb Bush has mobilized the National Guard and alerted urban rescue teams to be prepared to begin work as soon as the storm passes.

    "Our first priority will be to meet the immediate life-safety needs of the residents of Northwest Florida. Urban search and rescue teams and law enforcement teams will be the first teams that are deployed in the area. There will be a minimum of 14-hundred guard, national guard, that have been activated," said Jeb Bush. 

    (Source: CRIENGLISH.com)