In brief
A catastrophic blackout strikes Cuba as Hurricane Rafael makes landfall, exacerbating the nation's ongoing energy crisis.
Cuba experienced a nationwide blackout on Wednesday as Hurricane Rafael, packing winds of up to 185 km/h (115 mph), slammed into the Caribbean island. The national energy company reported that fierce winds had forced a total shutdown of the electricity system. In anticipation of the storm's arrival, authorities evacuated at least 70,000 residents from their homes, warning of potential storm surges, flash flooding, and mudslides.This latest disturbance comes on the heels of a severe blackout just weeks prior, when millions were left without power for four days due to the deteriorating state of the country's energy infrastructure. Remarkably, this incident coincided with Hurricane Oscar, which tragically resulted in at least six fatalities.Rafael set foot on land in the western province of Artemisa, near Cuba's capital, Havana, at around 16:15 local time (21:15 GMT), as reported by the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). A spokesperson from Unión Eléctrica, the state-owned energy firm, stated that engineers would need to allow the storm to pass before evaluating its impact on power facilities and the overall grid.By 22:00, Hurricane Rafael had advanced into the Gulf of Mexico, diminishing in severity to a category two storm with peak winds of 169 km/h. The NHC warned that Cuba should expect heavy rains to persist across the western regions into Thursday, while storm surges posed a significant risk to life. A tropical storm warning was also issued for the Florida Keys as heavy rains began affecting the Cayman Islands.Adding to the country's woes, last month around 10 million Cubans were left powerless due to maintenance issues and fuel scarcity affecting power stations, occurring concurrently with Hurricane Oscar. The eastern province of Guantánamo bore the brunt of Oscar's impact, witnessing damage to over 1,000 homes caused by strong winds and torrential rains.
