Hurricane Rafael hit Cuba as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday, causing the national power grid to collapse and leaving the country in darkness. The storm brought winds of up to 185 kilometres per hour and torrential rains to the island, disrupting an energy system that was already in a critical state.
The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said “life-threatening storm surge, damaging hurricane-force winds and flash flooding” were expected in western Cuba. Cuba’s capital, Havana, about 75km from the hurricane’s centre, was hit by the storm, suffering wind gusts and torrential rains that snapped power lines and felled trees.
Cuba’s state electricity operator UNE said the hurricane had completely knocked out the national electricity system, leaving all 10 million of the island’s residents without power. State television confirmed it was the second major outage in recent months. The country was also hit by a major outage in October, leading to a critical shortage of resources.
Cuba prepares for flooding and collapses in Havana amid hurricane warning
A hurricane warning has been issued for Havana, home to about 2 million people. Police patrols are urging residents to take shelter in safe places as the storm rages. Schools are closed and flights at Jose Marti International Airport and popular resorts such as Varadero and Cayo Largo have been cancelled until further notice. More than 100 Canadian tourists have been evacuated from the island of Cayo Largo, which was also hit by the hurricane.
In the hurricane’s path were the agricultural areas of Artemis and Pinar del Rio, which grow tobacco for Cuba’s famous hand-rolled cigars. Cuban Agriculture Minister Ydael Pérez Brito said farmers were taking measures to protect 8,000 tonnes of tobacco and other crops such as ripening fruits and vegetables that are also threatened.
This is a particularly difficult time for Cuba, as the country’s energy sector is already suffering due to outdated fuel oil-fuelled power plants. Problems have been exacerbated by dwindling oil supplies from Venezuela, Russia and Mexico. In October, Hurricane Oscar slammed through the eastern part of the island, which, along with power outages at the time, critically damaged Cuba’s infrastructure.
Forecasters report that Hurricane Rafael will soon head towards the western Gulf of Mexico. However, the forecast of its further movement remains uncertain, and experts continue to monitor changes in its trajectory in order to timely warn the population of neighbouring territories about the threat.
