Cuba Restores Essential Services After Hurricane Rafael
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel (C) oversees reconstruction efforts, Nov. 8, 2024. X/ @DiazCanelB
November 8, 2024 Hour: 12:39 pm
Technicians are working tirelessly to reconnect circuits, install poles, and repair power lines in the most affected provinces.
On Friday, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel led a meeting of the National Defense Council to evaluate the actions taken by each province to address the effects of Hurricane Rafael.
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The Cuban leader indicated that provincial priorities include restoring electricity service, water pumping, sanitation, distribution of basic food supplies, crop harvesting, and assessing damage.
Energy Minister Vicente de la O confirmed that the national electrical grid is now synchronized, and technicians are working on reconnecting circuits, erecting poles, and repairing power lines in provinces most affected by the hurricane. Currently, 81 megawatts are being used to provide electricity in Havana.
On November 5, this Category 3 hurricane struck Cuba, bringing winds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour and rainfall up to 195 millimeters. It made landfall at Playa Majana in Artemisa and crossed the island from south to north over more than two hours.
As it passed, Rafael caused severe damage in the provinces of Artemisa, Mayabeque, and Havana, impacting agriculture, housing, hospital infrastructure, and the electrical system.
The hurricane damaged 3,266 homes in Artemisa and Mayabeque and caused total or partial collapses of 461 homes in Havana. So far, no fatalities have been reported.
Rafael is the second hurricane to make landfall in Cuba in 2024. The previous one was Oscar, which struck the northeastern tip of the island for 24 hours between October 20 and 21, leaving eight dead, damaging 12,000 homes, and affecting 13,000 hectares of crops.
On Friday morning, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Rafael was moving with maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour through the central Gulf of Mexico. It was located 365 kilometers north-northeast of Progreso, Mexico, where heavy rainfall related to the system is occurring.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE – PL
