Cuba, without electricity, hit by Hurricane Rafel, category 3

Category 3 Hurricane Rafael made landfall Wednesday afternoon west of Havana, as the island was plunged into darkness due to the collapse of its electrical system caused by winds blowing in gusts over 185 km/h.

Rafael made landfall in the Cuban province of Artemisa west of Havana, with sustained winds of nearly 185 km/hindicated the National Hurricane Center (NHC), based in the United States, in its bulletin published at 4:15 p.m. local time.

According to images shot by journalists from theAFP in Publo Candelaria, a town of 20,000 inhabitants 65 kilometers west of Havana, the deserted streets are swept by strong gusty winds, accompanied by rain, which have torn branches from trees whose tops are swaying in all senses.

A little earlier, the violent winds caused by the high intensity Hurricane Rafael caused the disconnection of the national electricity systemindicated on X the national electricity company (UNE).

Cuba and its ten million inhabitants were already affected two weeks ago by a giant power outage lasting four days and by the passage of Hurricane Oscar which caused the death of eight people.

The NHC warned of the risk of potentially fatal submersions, destructive winds […] and flash floods in this area of ​​the country.

Intense hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 185 km/h : this makes it a category 3 out of 5 hurricane according to the Saffir-Simpson scale, added the Cuban Meteorological Institute (INSMET) to X.

In Havana, where two million people live, deserted streets were swept by strong gusts accompanied by intense rain, theAFP. Shops, offices and schools had been closed in advance.

Rafael is moving northwest at a speed of 20 km/h […]is expected to cross Cuba this evening and emerge over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico in the evening or during the weekend.

A tropical storm warning has been issued for the Florida Keys.

The Cuban authorities had increased calls for vigilance and preventive measures to protect the population and safeguard material resources.

We are in constant communication with the territories that will most feel the effects of Hurricane RafaelCuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Wednesday on X. Courage Cuba! he said.

Nine provinces (out of the 15 in the country), located in the west and center of the island, including that of Havana, have been placed in cyclone alert.

Furthermore, the National Defense Councilmade up of military personnel, was activated Tuesday to respond to the meteorological emergency.

Shelter operations have been carried out in various provinces of the country and concern several tens of thousands of Cubans, particularly in the west and center of the island.

Around 13,000 people were notably placed under protection in the central province of Villa Clara, according to the official press, which however specified that the alert had been lifted in the province of Guantanamo (east), the hardest hit by the Hurricane Oscar.

Two in two weeks

The latter, category 1, hit the east of the island on October 20 before transforming into a tropical storm. Severe flooding surprised residents of two locations in Guantanamo, San Antonio del Sur and Imias, where eight people died.

Oscar came while the island was suffering a general blackout. For four days, Cuba was without power due to a giant blackout which broke out on October 18 following fuel shortages and a breakdown at the country’s main power plant.

Availability of electricity will depend a lot on the effects of the hurricanewarned Lazaro Guerra, director of electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, on Cuban television.

Last week, the ministry acknowledged that the situation of the electricity system remained tenseload shedding continuing chronically.

In September 2022, the island had already experienced a widespread power outage after the passage of powerful Hurricane Ian, which hit the west of the island.