Hurricane Rafael, which hit western Cuba with category 3, left the island on the afternoon of Wednesday, November 6, still plunged into darkness due to the collapse of its electrical system, for the second time in two weeks. “The center of Rafael is moving southeast towards the Gulf of Mexico”indicated the National Hurricane Center (NHC), based in Miami, in its latest bulletin.
Rafael, which made landfall in the province of Artemisa, crossed Cuban territory from south to north for two and a half hours, before losing intensity as it entered the Gulf of Mexico. A tropical storm warning has been issued for the Florida Keys.
During its passage through the island, the category 3 hurricane (out of 5) on the Saffir-Simpson scale caused a general blackout. “The strong winds caused by the high-intensity Hurricane Rafael caused the disconnection of the national electrical system”declared on day X the national electricity company (EU).
On the southwest coast of the island, gusts reached between 130 and 140 km/h, according to authorities. In Havana they reached 110 km/h, and could reach up to 185 km/h in the most affected areas.
“The destruction of generators and the neutralization of transmission lines caused the system to collapse” electricity, Lázaro Guerra, director of electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, said shortly afterwards on state television. The country had already been deprived of electricity for four days after a breakdown on October 18 at the country’s main power plant and due to fuel shortages.
In Candelaria, a municipality of 20,000 inhabitants located 65 kilometers west of Havana, the deserted streets were swept by strong gusts of wind, accompanied by rain, which tore branches from the trees, images filmed by AFP showed. After Rafael passed, the streets were strewn with branches, but also with tiles and pieces of concrete from the facades of the houses that did not resist the onslaught of the hurricane.
“Tensive” situation of the electrical system
In Havana, where two million inhabitants live, the deserted streets were swept by strong gusts accompanied by intense rain, AFP confirmed. Shops, offices and schools had been closed in advance. Airports in the capital and the tourist hub of Varadero were closed and hotels were packed with tourists waiting for flights to resume.
On Tuesday, Cuban authorities increased calls for surveillance and preventative measures. “protect the population and safeguard material resources”. “We are in constant communication with the territories that will feel the effects of Hurricane Rafael the most”Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on Wednesday in the X. “Cheer up Cuba!” »said.
Nine provinces (of the country’s fifteen), located in the west and center of the island, including Havana, had been included in “cyclonic alert”. Reception operations were carried out in these provinces in which tens of thousands of Cubans participated.
However, the alert was lifted in the province of Guantánamo, the most affected by Hurricane Oscar. This Category 1 hurricane hit the east of the island on October 20 before becoming a tropical storm. Serious floods surprised the inhabitants of two towns in Guantánamo, San Antonio del Sur and Imías, where eight people died.
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Last week, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, acknowledged that the situation of the electrical system remained “tense”pressure loss continues chronically. In September 2022, the island had already experienced a widespread power outage following the passage of powerful Hurricane Ian that hit the west of the island.
