Cuba: Cuba has faced a complete power outage as Hurricane Rafael hit the island with winds reaching 185km/h (115mph). The national energy company reported that fierce winds had forced the shutdown of the electricity system.
Ahead of the Category 3 hurricane’s landfall in the western province of Artemisa, near Havana, authorities evacuated around 70,000 people, bracing for the risk of storm surges, flash floods, and mudslides. The hurricane’s consequence comes on the heels of recent power challenges, as a large-scale blackout last month left millions without electricity amid fuel shortages and infrastructure failures, overlapping with Hurricane Oscar.
…RAFAEL MAKES LANDFALL IN THE CUBAN PROVINCE OF ARTEMISA at 4:15 PM EST…
Major Hurricane #Rafael Advisory 13: 4:00 PM EST Wednesday November 6, 2024
Full forecast details at: https://t.co/TeLLMFmCkN pic.twitter.com/ZglhbfAXNw
— National Hurricane Center (@NWSNHC) November 6, 2024
Hurricane Rafael made landfall at 16:15 local time (21:15 GMT), with the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) issuing alerts for life-threatening storm surges and continued rainfall. By 22:00, the storm had pushed into the Gulf of Mexico, weakening slightly to a Category 2 hurricane with winds of up to 169km/h.
Union Electrica, Cuba’s state-run energy company, suggested that repair teams wait for the storm’s full departure before setting and restoring the damaged grid. The NHC warned of constant rainfall across western Cuba, and storm advisories stay active for the Cayman Islands and the Florida Keys.
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