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In Cuba, the passage of the hurricane left two people dead, in addition to material damage and an electricity blackout that affected 11 million people. The authorities are working to restore the electrical network, which has already been put back into operation in some sectors.
Winds of 200 km/h left devastation as they passed through the western tip of Cuba. After the passage of Hurricane Ian, at least two people perished in the province of Pinar del Río: a woman, who died when a wall collapsed on top of her, and a man, who died when the roof of her home collapsed.
This Tuesday, the president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, who visited several affected places, said from his Twitter account that “the damages are great, although they have not yet been accounted for. Aid is already coming from all over the country. Rest assured.” that we’re going to recover.”
Trees and power poles were ripped from the ground by strong winds and ended up on vehicles and homes. The farm fields ended up flooded and some of the houses uninhabitable.
Among the material damage caused by the hurricane, the lack of electricity throughout the island due to the total failure of the National Electric System was added in the morning. Although there are already reports that the service has returned in some places, such as Havana, Holguín and Las Tunas.
To improve the electrical service, Bruno Rodríguez, the Cuban foreign minister, said on Twitter that “after the ravages of Hurricane Ian, work is being carried out tirelessly on the start-up and connection of microsystems, to start up the thermoelectric plants and then synchronize them with the national electrical system. “.
Fear of food loss amid crisis and shortage
The 11 million inhabitants of Cuba, already affected by the growing shortage of food and medicine, had to face the fact that the food they keep in their freezers and refrigerators could spoil due to the lack of electricity supply.
They also face not being able to cook on electric stoves, being incommunicado, since the cellular antennas are not working, and not having drinking water if they use extraction pumps in their houses.
Precisely, this happened to Anahy, who lives in a building in Havana that managed to flood due to the force of the waves. “25 families live in this building and we are all the same. There is no electricity or water: we just have to move on,” said the citizen.
Venezuela, Nicaragua, Mexico and Bolivia have shown their solidarity with Cuba and promised to help the island.
Cuban migrants disappeared off the coast of Florida in the middle of the storm
Meanwhile, US authorities reported that they are looking for 20 Cuban migrants who were trying to reach the United States in a boat that capsized due to the force of the winds.
The country’s Coast Guard said it had rescued three of these citizens, who were taken to a local hospital for symptoms of exhaustion and dehydration.
Four other Cuban migrants swam to the Florida coast after their boat capsized, all of them were hospitalized, according to information from local media.
The US authorities called for Cubans not to try to reach the North American country by sea amid the strong waves caused by the storm.
With EFE and Reuters
