Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Cuba begins to turn on lights after Ian blacks out island

HAVANA (AP) — Cuban officers mentioned that they had begun to revive some energy Wednesday after Hurricane Ian knocked out electrical energy to the whole island whereas devastating a few of the nation’s most vital tobacco farms when it hit the island’s western tip as a serious storm.

At the least two folks have been reported killed.

The Power and Mines Ministry introduced it had restored vitality to 3 areas by activating two massive energy vegetation in Felton and Nuevitas and was engaged on getting others again on-line.

Lights began to flicker on within the capital, Havana. Nonetheless, a lot of town and different elements of western Cuba remained with out energy on Wednesday within the wake of the main hurricane, which had superior northward to Florida. It was the primary time in reminiscence — maybe ever — that the entire island had misplaced energy.

On Tuesday, Ian hit Cuba, which has been combating an financial disaster and has confronted frequent energy outages in current months. It made landfall as a Class 3 storm on the island’s western finish, devastating Pinar del Río province, the place a lot of the tobacco used for Cuba’s iconic cigars is grown.

Tens of hundreds of individuals have been evacuated, and others fled the world forward of the arrival of Ian, which triggered flooding, broken homes and toppled bushes. State media reported two deaths within the province: a girl killed by a falling wall and one other by a collapsed roof.

Ian’s winds broken one in every of Cuba’s most prestigious tobacco farms, Finca Robaina.

“It was apocalyptic, an actual catastrophe,” mentioned Hirochi Robaina, proprietor of the farm that bears his identify and that his grandfather made recognized internationally.

Robaina posted images on social media of wood-and-thatch roofs smashed to the bottom, greenhouses in rubble and wagons overturned.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel visited the affected area, telling the inhabitants, “Though the primary impression may be very painful, there’s nothing to do however overcome the adversity.”

“Being within the hurricane was horrible for me, however we’re right here alive,” mentioned Pinar del Rio resident Yusimí Palacios, who requested authorities for a roof and a mattress.

Officers had arrange 55 shelters and took steps to guard crops, particularly tobacco.

The U.S. Nationwide Hurricane Heart mentioned Cuba suffered “vital wind and storm surge impacts” when the hurricane struck with high sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph).

Ian was even stronger Wednesday because it approached the coast of Florida with high winds of 155 mph (250 kph), threatening to trigger catastrophic harm there.

In Cuba, native authorities station TelePinar reported heavy harm on the predominant hospital in Pinar del Rio metropolis, tweeting images of collapsed ceilings and downed bushes. No deaths have been reported.

Movies on social media confirmed downed energy traces and cut-off roads within the provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa and Mayabeque. A hospital in Pinar del Río was broken.

“The city is flooded,” mentioned farmer Andy Muñoz, 37, who lives in Playa Cajío in Artemisa.

He mentioned many individuals misplaced their belongings as a result of storm surge.

“I spent the hurricane at dwelling with my husband and the canine. The masonry and zinc roof of the home had simply been put in. However the storm tore it down,” mentioned Mercedes Valdés, who lives alongside the freeway connecting Pinar del Río to San Juan y Martínez. “We couldn’t rescue our issues … we simply ran out.”

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AP journalist Osvaldo Angulo in Pinar del Rio contributed to this report.



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