In brief
Cuba faced catastrophic conditions as Hurricane Rafael hit the island, leaving millions in darkness and prompting voluntary evacuations for safety.
Cuba experienced a severe nationwide blackout on Wednesday, as Hurricane Rafael made landfall, bringing winds reaching 185 km/h (115 mph) to the island. The national energy company reported that intense winds led to the failure of the electricity system, plunging the entire nation into darkness. In preparation for the category three storm, authorities evacuated around 70,000 residents from high-risk areas, anticipating dangers such as storm surges, flash floods, and mudslides.Rafael struck the western province of Artemisa, close to the capital city Havana, around 16:15 local time (21:15 GMT), according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). A spokesperson for Unión Eléctrica stated that engineers would assess the extent of the damage to power plants and the electricity grid only after the storm had passed. By 22:00 local time, Hurricane Rafael had diminished to a category two hurricane with maximum winds of 169 km/h and moved into the Gulf of Mexico. The NHC indicated that western Cuba would continue experiencing heavy rainfall into Thursday, with the potential for life-threatening storm surges. The Cayman Islands are also facing heavy rains, and a tropical storm warning is currently in effect for the Florida Keys.This blackout follows a similar incident last month when approximately 10 million Cubans were left without electricity for four days due to maintenance problems and a fuel shortage amid Hurricane Oscar, a category one storm. The eastern province of Guantánamo suffered significant damage during the previous storm, with more than 1,000 homes affected by the adverse weather conditions.
