Cuba Grapples with Aftermath of Hurricane Rafael, Power Outages, and Infrastructure Damage

 

Cuba is reeling from the powerful impact of Hurricane Rafael, a Category 3 storm that swept across the island on Wednesday evening, knocking out the entire power grid, uprooting trees, and causing widespread damage. Fortunately, no fatalities have been reported so far.

The hurricane made landfall about 45 miles west of Havana, devastating parts of the capital. José Ignacio Dimas, a security guard returning home from his night shift, found his historic apartment building had partially collapsed. "The entire front wall of the building fell," Dimas said emotionally, noting that the building, like many in Havana, was aging and in need of maintenance.

Approximately 50,000 residents sought refuge in Havana, while thousands more took shelter in areas south and west of the capital, especially in flood-prone zones or homes at risk of collapse. The main highway connecting Havana to Batabanó, a southern coastal town, was littered with downed utility poles and tangled wires.

Efforts to restore electricity are underway, with Lázaro Guerra, the electricity director for Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines, announcing partial power restoration in western regions. He cautioned, however, that recovery would be gradual due to necessary safety measures. This latest hurricane compounds Cuba’s recent energy struggles, which had already led to prolonged blackouts. The island suffered a devastating power outage just last month and faced another hurricane on its eastern side, leading to significant fatalities.

After crossing Cuba, Rafael weakened to a Category 2 storm as it moved into the Gulf of Mexico, continuing its westward track towards Mexico. The National Hurricane Center reported sustained winds of 100 mph as the storm hovered roughly 200 miles northwest of Havana.

Earlier in the week, Rafael had impacted Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, where it downed trees, damaged power lines, and caused heavy flooding, leaving thousands without electricity. The hurricane is now expected to continue weakening over open waters.

This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted an unusually active hurricane season, with up to 25 named storms, including as many as 13 hurricanes. Rafael is the 17th named storm this season. Climate experts warn that rising global temperatures, fueled by human-caused climate change, have intensified the strength of tropical cyclones, making storms like Rafael more destructive than ever before.