By KRYSTEL ROLLE, Guardian Staff Reporter

Fears that Hurricane Gustav may land in The Bahamas were somewhat alleviated yesterday as the forecasted path of the storm shifted slightly, taking the category one system farther away from the country, according to forecasters.

However, Anastashia Fernander of the Department of Meteorology said Bahamians should remain on guard nonetheless.

The hurricane, which gained strength yesterday as it closed in on Haiti, is expected to begin affecting The Bahamas today, producing showers in the southeastern islands, including Inagua, Acklins and Mayaguana. Heavy rains are expected. Strong, gusty winds and thunderstorms are also associated with the system.

And while forecasters are still watching the storm, most of the advisories have been discontinued, Fernander said.

"It is not forecasted to enter the waters of The Bahamas but remain south of Cuba before entering the Gulf of Mexico. So the Department of Meteorology has discontinued all of the alerts, but we are still asking the residents in the southeast Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands to continue to monitor the storm," Fernander said.

Yesterday, Gustav was moving across Haiti where it was expected to lose strength, but Fernander said it would probably get stronger when it gets into the open waters today and tomorrow as it heads into Cuba and the Gulf of Mexico.

The forecaster said the hurricane's maximum sustained winds were about 90 miles per hour yesterday morning with even higher gusts.

Haitians were warned to prepare to evacuate their homes as the storm neared. Haiti upgraded storm warnings to hurricane warnings along much of its coastal areas as Gustav closed in on the country.

Floods and landslides were predicted. The forecasts suggested that Gustav's eye could pass near the capital of Port-au-Prince, which is home to nearly three million people.

Meantime, oil prices escalated yesterday as the hurricane threatened some oil operations in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Associated Press.

International oil prices rose by as much as $5 overnight. The price, which was previously tagged at about $112 per barrel, went up again to more than $116. Forecasters believe Gustav could reach the Gulf of Mexico by Sunday.

The price increase came after the Miami-based National Hurricane Center projected yesterday that Gustav would gather strength over the Gulf's warm waters.

"Most indications are that Gustav will be an extremely dangerous hurricane in the northwestern Caribbean Sea in a few days," the Hurricane Center said.

The threat of Gustav, which is the seventh named storm in the Atlantic this year, had at least one oil company considering evacuating its non-essential staff, AP reported.

Traders were reportedly worried that the hurricane could head into the Gulf, which is home to about 20 percent of the U.S's drilling operations.

Hurricane force winds extended outward up to 25 miles from the center while tropical storm force winds extended outward up to 70 miles.

Gustav is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of four to eight inches over Hispaniola, eastern Cuba and Jamaica, with a maximum of up to 20 inches possible, said the National Hurricane Center. Additionally, it warned that the rain will likely produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.

It is also expected to cause large and dangerous battering waves in the areas and onshore winds in the hurricane warning area.