On November 6, “Hurricane Rafael arrived in Cuba, . . . plunging the island into a power failure just before making landfall as a powerful Category 3 storm in the western Cuban province of Artemisa. . . . The storm moved across the island with excessive rains, sustained winds near 115 m.p.h. and higher gusts as well as the threat of storm surge and flash flooding.”[1]
“The storm could not have come at a worse time for Cuba, which has been struggling to keep the lights on for months and has suffered several nationwide blackouts recently. It suffered another, just before Rafael’s arrival, when the government announced strong winds had knocked out power islandwide.”
“Before Rafael’s arrival, Cuba declared a hurricane warning in the provinces of Villa Clara, Sancti Spíritus, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Mayabeque, Havana, Artemisa and the island of Isla de la Juventud. The government also hurried to position supplies already slammed by severe food and gas shortages.”
“On Wednesday, between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM, numerous rains, showers and thunderstorms were reported in the central and western regions, with values exceeding 100 millimeters in 24 localities in the provinces of Sancti Spíritus, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Mayabeque and Havana.”
“Hurricane Rafael’s winds, rains and flooding have caused considerable damage to infrastructure, homes, agriculture, and electricity and telephone services in Artemisa, Mayabeque and Havana .”
=========================
[1] Robles, Kwai & Moses, Hurricane Rafael Delivers Another Blow to Cuba, N.Y. Times (Nov. 6, 2024); Hurricane Rafael Lashes Cuba, N.Y. Times (Nov. 6, 2024) (videos and photos);Torres, As Hurricane Rafael slams into Cuba, the island’s power grid is knocked out once more, Miami Herald (Nov. 6, 2024); Rafael leaves destruction in Mayabeque, Artemisa and Havana, and continues to dump rain, Diario de Cuba (Nov. 7, 2024).
