The power outage in Cuba caused by Hurricane Rafael continues. The authorities are working on restoring the power supply in the center and east of the country, President Miguel Díaz-Canel wrote on Thursday in the online service “to start the power supply”. According to current information, there were no fatalities, said Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez.
The cyclone made landfall in Cuba on Wednesday as a medium category three hurricane with wind speeds of up to 185 kilometers per hour. According to the US Hurricane Center, “Rafael” swept over the island in two and a half hours and slowly lost strength on the way to the Gulf of Mexico.
According to state utility Unión Eléctrica, the hurricane led to a nationwide power collapse. In the capital Havana, residents used brooms, shovels and buckets on Thursday to remove branches, garbage and mud from the streets.
The Cuban power grid collapsed in October after the largest of the island’s eight dilapidated coal-fired power plants unexpectedly failed. Hurricane Oscar also hit Cuba. Eight people were killed at that time.
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