NASSAU, Bahamas (CMC):

A hurricane warning was yesterday afternoon issued for The Bahamas, as well as the Turks and Caicos Islands as the eighth tropical system developed into a Category One hurricane heading for the islands.

Just hours after Bahamian meteorologists predicted that Hanna would develop into a hurricane by the time it reached the chain of islands, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami issued a 1:30 p.m. advisory that the system had strengthened and was packing maximum sustained winds near 75 miles per hour.

The hurricane warning was issued for the Central Bahamas, the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

"Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," the NHC advised.