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

HAVANA (AP) – Cuba was left reeling Thursday after a powerful Category 3 storm hit the island and knocked out the country’s electricity.

The extent of the impact was not clear in the early hours, but forecasters warned that Hurricane Rafael could bring “life-threatening” storms to Cuba after devastating parts of the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.

On Wednesday evening, huge waves hit the coast of Havana as strong winds and rain battered the city’s historic center, leaving trees covered in flooded streets. Most of the city was dark and empty.

As it winds across Cuba, the storm has been downgraded to a Category 2 storm in the Gulf of Mexico near northern Mexico and southern Texas, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

But many Cubans were left picking up the pieces from the night before, with a strange sense of déjà vu after a rocky few weeks in the Caribbean nation.

In October, the island was hit with a one-two punch. First, Cuba was rocked by an extended island-wide blackout lasting several days, a product of the island’s power crisis. Soon after, another strong typhoon struck and killed at least six people in the eastern part of the island.

It has fueled discontent that is already running high in Cuba amid ongoing economic problems, prompting many to leave Cuba.

While the State Department issued a travel warning for Cuba over the story, the Cuban government also sounded the alarm, asking citizens to heed it.

Classes and public transport were suspended in parts of the island and authorities canceled flights to and from Havana and Varadero. Thousands of people in the west of the island were evacuated as a precaution, and many more like Silvia Pérez, a 72-year-old retiree who lives in a suburb of Havana, are struggling to prepare.

“These are the nights I don’t want to sleep, between the wind blowing and the trees,” said Pérez. “I was afraid of my friends and family.”

The concern came after the storm knocked out power in the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, where it also unleashed flooding and landslides.

Rafael is the 17th named storm of the season.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted that the 2024 hurricane season will likely be above average, with between 17 and 25 named hurricanes. The forecast called for 13 possible hurricanes and four major hurricanes.

The typical Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, seven of which are hurricanes and three major hurricanes.