Cuba’s national electrical grid has experienced a collapse as Hurricane Rafael struck the island’s southwest coast, bringing sustained winds of 185 km/h and wreaking havoc on the already crisis-ridden nation.
The hurricane was located approximately 75 km southwest of Cuba’s capital Havana late in the afternoon, unleashing heavy rain and violent wind gusts on the capital city, which has nearly two million residents.
The Miami-based NHC cautioned of a “life-threatening storm surge, damaging hurricane-force winds, and flash flooding” throughout much of western Cuba. The area, including Havana, remained under a hurricane warning.
A man secures the roof of his house in Guanimar, Artemisa province, in anticipation of Hurricane Rafael’s arrival.
The state-run grid operator UNE reported that the high winds led to a complete failure of the country’s electrical system. State television indicated that all 10 million residents of the island were without power – marking the second such incident in under a month.
The capital, with its two million residents, is particularly susceptible to hurricane strikes and flooding due to its outdated, densely-packed housing and deteriorating infrastructure.
Police vehicles equipped with loudspeakers began patrolling central neighborhoods, urging residents to remain indoors ahead of the storm.
Schools and public transport in the city have been suspended until further notice, and both Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport and the popular resort area of Varadero have halted flights until tomorrow.
Officials announced the evacuation of over 100 Canadian tourists from Cayo Largo, another popular beach area located off southwestern Cuba.
Fishermen are seen removing their boats from the water as Hurricane Rafael approaches in Havana.
The agricultural provinces of Artemisa and Pinar del Río, known for their prized tobacco which is used in Cuba’s renowned hand-rolled cigars, were anticipated to experience a near direct hit as Rafael made landfall.
Farmers have taken precautions to safeguard 8,000 metric tonnes of tobacco in the region, alongside ripening fruits and vegetables, as stated by Agriculture Minister Ydael Pérez Brito. This situation comes at a particularly challenging time for the Communist-run island, which recently faced another complete breakdown of its national electrical grid, causing prolonged power outages.
Hurricane Oscar had made landfall in far eastern Cuba around the time of the blackout, creating a one-two punch that has drained critical resources in a country already grappling with severe food, fuel, and medicine shortages.
Cuba’s oil-fired power plants, which are already outdated and struggling to maintain service, have reached a critical state this year due to declining oil imports from Venezuela, Russia, and Mexico.
The hurricane represents yet another challenge to the nation’s already fragile grid and infrastructure.
Rafael brushed past the Cayman Islands as a Category 1 cyclone overnight, before rapidly escalating to a much stronger Category 3 storm off Cuba’s southwestern coast within less than 24 hours.
Forecasters are predicting that Rafael will drift towards the western Gulf of Mexico later this week, though its exact path remains uncertain, according to the NHC.
