Cuba left reeling after Category 3 hurricane ravages island and knocks out power grid

Cuba is reeling aft a powerful Category 3 hurricane ripped crossed nan land and fierce winds knocked retired nan country’s powerfulness grid

HAVANA -- Cuba was near reeling Thursday aft a fierce Category 3 hurricane ripped crossed nan land and knocked retired nan country’s powerfulness grid.

The magnitude of nan effect remained unclear done nan early hours of nan day, but forecasters warned that Hurricane Rafael could bring “life-threatening” large wind surges, winds and flash floods to Cuba aft ravaging parts of nan Cayman Islands and Jamaica.

On Wednesday evening, monolithic waves lashed astatine Havana’s shores arsenic crisp winds and rainfall whipped astatine nan historical cityscape, leaving trees littered connected flooded roads. Much of nan metropolis was acheronian and deserted.

As it plowed crossed Cuba, nan large wind slowed to a Category 2 hurricane chugging into nan Gulf of Mexico adjacent bluish Mexico and confederate Texas, according to nan National Hurricane Center successful Miami.

But galore Cubans were near picking up nan pieces from nan nighttime before, pinch a unusual consciousness of déjà vu aft a rocky fewer weeks successful nan Caribbean nation.

In October, nan land was deed by a one-two punch. First, Cuba was roiled by stretching island-wide blackouts stretching connected for days, a merchandise of nan island’s power crisis. Shortly after, it was slapped by different powerful hurricane that killed astatine slightest six group successful nan eastbound portion of nan island.

It stoked discontent already simmering successful Cuba amid an ongoing economical crisis, which has pushed galore to migrate from Cuba.

While nan State Department issued a recreation informing for Cuba because of nan story, nan Cuban authorities besides raised an alarm, asking citizens to hunker down.

Classes and nationalist carrier were suspended connected parts of nan land and authorities canceled flights successful and retired of Havana and Varadero. Thousands of group successful nan westbound of nan land were evacuated arsenic a preventative measure, and galore much for illustration Silvia Pérez, a 72-year-old retiree surviving successful a coastal area of Havana, scrambled to prepare.

“This is simply a nighttime I don’t want to slumber through, betwixt nan battering aerial and nan trees,” Pérez said. “I’m frightened for my friends and family.”

The interest came aft nan large wind knocked retired powerfulness successful nan Cayman Islands and Jamaica, wherever it besides unleased flooding and landslides.

Rafael is nan 17th named large wind of nan season.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted nan 2024 hurricane play was apt to beryllium good supra average, pinch betwixt 17 and 25 named storms. The forecast called for arsenic galore arsenic 13 hurricanes and 4 awesome hurricanes.

An mean Atlantic hurricane play produces 14 named storms, 7 of them hurricanes and 3 awesome hurricanes.