This Wednesday, Hurricane Rafael rose to category three near the southwestern coast of Cuba, causing a massive blackout and the disconnection of the National Electric System.
Due to this, hundreds of schools suspended classes, transportation was canceled and thousands of people who were in risk areas due to the hurricane’s strong winds were evacuated.
Between Tuesday and Wednesday, approximately 50 thousand people had to be evacuated in Havana, another 11 thousand in Sancti Spiritus and another 13 thousand in Villa Clara. This last place is under observation due to the level of the reservoirs and the flooding of the Zaze River.
Let us remember that The Cuban region is barely recovering from Oscar, another hurricane that passed two weeks ago and left at least eight dead in the east of the island.
In Pinar del Río, Isla de la Juventud and Mayabeque There was also evacuation of people and their property. Meanwhile, in the tourist South Key Largo 758 vacationers and workers were evacuated.
In the capital, Havana, and several provinces, public transportation and classes were suspended, as well as many work activities. Crews of employees collected garbage and other obstructive materials from the capital’s Malecón and several low-lying areas, given the forecast of floods; while Roofs, windows, boats and all kinds of property that could be affected were secured.
Throughout the day, heavy downpours began to fall and the wind hit the trees hard. The authorities also canceled flights in the main air terminals such as Havana and Varadero.
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“This is a night in which I do not sleep, between the beating air, the bushes (trees)…”, dijo a The Associated Press Silvia Pérez, a 72-year-old retiree, who lives in the Vedado neighborhood, located next to the coast. “I’m scared for my acquaintances and family. I hope it happens this November”in reference to hurricane season.
Like many neighbors, Pérez collected water and accumulated some food, as the AP confirmed during a tour.
“We have a bad experience, look at the mark of how far the water rose,” Yeni Cabrales, 41, who lives with five children, told the AP as she pointed in the direction of her front porch wall, at the height of more than half a meter. One block away, Cabrales’ mother took furniture and appliances out of her ground-floor apartment.
According to the Cuban Institute of Meteorology and the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC), Rafael will bring strong winds and storm surges to the south-central and western coast of the Caribbean nation with moderate to strong coastal flooding. .
The Civil Defense of Cuba decreed the alarm phase, That is to say, people must have maximum protection, to the provinces of Sancti Spíritus, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Mayabeque, Artemisa and Pinar del Río, as well as in the Isle of Youth and the Canarreos archipelago.
Hurricane Rafael will arrive in Cuba in complex circumstances: a trough that brought a lot of water to the east last week, especially to Guantánamo, where also A previous cyclone, Oscar, already made landfall on October 20.
The result was eight deaths and damage to more than 150,000 people, as well as damage to roads, bridges and homes. It also damaged coffee crops, one of the most important in the area.
With Oscar, the municipalities to the east of the island, Baracoa, Imías, Maisí and San Antonio Sur were the most affected.
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The imminent arrival of Rafael adds to the weakness of the national energy system that collapsed in the middle of last month, leaving a historic blackout from end to end of the island for several days and a severe economic crisis with fuel shortages, lack of water and inflation.
After noon, The NHC reported that it was 80 kilometers northeast of Youth Island and about 110 kilometers from Havana. with sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour and a travel speed of 22 kilometers per hour.
Rafael knocked out power as it passed through Jamaica on Tuesday and caused flooding and landslides.
The Jamaica Public Service, the island’s electricity provider, said in a statement Tuesday night that impassable roads were preventing crews from restoring power in some areas.
Forecasts also indicate heavy rain that would extend northward into Florida and areas near the southeastern United States for the rest of the week.
CM
