Hurricane Rafael in Cuba: provinces of Artemisa, Mayabeque and Havana concentrate the damage

The provinces of Artemisa, Mayabeque and Havana (west) concentrate the greatest damage caused by the rains and strong winds associated with Hurricane Rafael, while a large part of the country remains in darkness since Wednesday, Cuban authorities reported this Thursday.

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The Cuban Presidency reported on its social networks at the end of a meeting of the National Defense Council that “So far, no loss of human life has been reported as a result of the hurricane.”

In the Council, headed by the president of the country, Miguel Díaz-Canel, it emerged that in the Cuban capital some 77 homes, 21 schools and seven hospitals were affected.

In Artemisa, the damage is recorded in hospitals, schools, homes, roofs and power lines; while in Mayabeque, the damage has been reported mainly in banana and cassava crops, according to the source, who did not offer specific data on the damage.

In Pinar del Río (far west) no damage is reported and in the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud they are “mild,” the authorities indicated.

Hurricane Rafael, now category 2

Hurricane Rafael made landfall at 4:20 pm on the southern coast of the province of Artemisa and left Cuban territory more than two hours later on the northern coast of Pinar del Río.

The Cuban Meteorological Institute measured winds of up to 185 kilometers per hour and recorded intense rains of up to 200 millimeters (or liters per square meter).

This caused, according to the state company Unión Eléctrica, the total disconnection of the National Electric System (SEN) on Wednesday, the second event of “zero national energy coverage” in almost three weeks, which left some 10 million people without supply.

This Thursday, the general director of Electricity of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, Lázaro Guerra, informed state television that “the electricity supply has been successfully restored in a large area from Matanzas (west) to Sancti Spíritus (center) and now They are working to reach Holguín (east).

However, he added that there are “challenges” due to “transmission and distribution lines damaged by Hurricane Rafael.”

To the technical complexity of reestablishing the SEN, we must add the physical repair of cables and poles damaged by strong winds, explained the authorities, who also clarified that it will take “time for recovery.”

Rafael, which wanders this Thursday through the Gulf of Mexico now in category 2, affected more than four million Cubans and its devastation has been visible since this Thursday.

This is the second hurricane to make landfall in Cuba so far this year. The previous one, Óscar, passed through the northeastern tip of the island a little over two weeks ago and left 8 dead, 12,000 homes damaged, and 13,000 hectares of crops damaged.

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