The Cuban government acknowledged on Wednesday in its first damage assessment after Hurricane Rafael’s passage through the west of the island with category 3 (out of five) on the Saffir-Simpson scale that the effects on housing, infrastructure and agriculture have been “very strong”.
The cyclone made landfall at 16:20 local time (22:20 GMT) along the southern coast of Artemisa province and left Cuban territory more than two hours later along the northern coast of Pinar del Rio.
The Meteorological Institute (Insmet) of Cuba measured winds of up to 185 kilometers per hour. and recorded heavy rainfall of up to 200 millimeters (or liters per square meter).
The country’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, wrote on social networks at the end of a meeting of the National Defense Council that the following have been recorded “great affectations in Artemisa, Mayabeque and Havana.”three western provinces.
He also announced that he plans to visit “the territories most affected by the hurricane” as of Thursday. “A new recovery process has already begun,” he said.
For his part, the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero, added in a special intervention on state television that the damages have been “very heavy in housing, infrastructure and agriculture”.
He also explained that the total blackout caused in the country by this cyclone, the second event of “zero national energy coverage” in just two weeks, has yet to be evaluated due to the inclement weather.
To the technical complexity of restoring the National Electric Service (SEN) must be added the physical repair of cables and poles damaged by the strong winds, explained in this regard in social networks the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Mined), who demanded “time” for recovery.
“We are working on the creation of electrical subsystems in the center and east of Cuba. In the west this process will be slower, the lines and the necessary electrical installations must be reviewed,” said the Mined.
Marrero concluded his speech by saying: “Rest assured that we will recover. And we will come through. To victory always!”.
Rafael has affected more than four million Cubans and its ravages will begin to be visible as of this Thursday.
This is the second hurricane to make landfall in Cuba so far this year.. The previous one, Oscar, passed over the northeastern tip of the island a little more than two weeks ago and left 8 dead, 12,000 homes damaged and 13,000 hectares of crops damaged.