Cuba plunges deeper into crisis left after Hurricane Rafael ravages island and knocks out power grid

Cuba was left reeling on Thursday after Hurricane Rafael, a powerful Category 3 storm, tore across the island, knocking out the country’s power grid and causing widespread damage. The full extent of the impact remained unclear in the early hours of the day, as officials and emergency teams began assessing the destruction. However, forecasters warned that the storm could bring life-threatening conditions, including storm surges, high winds, and flash floods, to Cuba, following its devastation of the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.

By Wednesday evening, Havana, Cuba’s capital, had already begun feeling the brunt of the storm, with huge waves crashing against the coastline, sharp winds, and heavy rain battering the historic city. Trees were uprooted and debris scattered across flooded streets. Much of the city was left in darkness, with power outages affecting large areas, and the streets deserted as residents sought shelter from the storm’s fury.

As the storm moved across the region, officials remained on high alert, urging residents to take necessary precautions. Emergency teams were mobilized, and relief efforts began, though the full scale of damage to infrastructure, homes, and communities was still unfolding.

As it ploughed across Cuba, the storm slowed to a category two hurricane chugging into the Gulf of Mexico near northern Mexico and southern Texas, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

On Thursday morning, the hurricane was located about 180 miles (290 kilometres) west-northwest of Havana. It had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph) and was moving northwest at 9 mph (15 kph).

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Earlier in the week, Hurricane Rafael brushed past Jamaica and severely battered the Cayman Islands, leaving behind a trail of destruction. The storm downed trees, power lines, and caused widespread flooding in several areas.

In Jamaica, authorities are currently searching for a couple who were last seen inside a car that was swept away by the powerful floodwaters. Local police confirmed the incident to Radio Jamaica Online. The storm also caused significant power outages, with thousands of customers still without electricity as crews work to restore service. Meanwhile, in Little Cayman, officials are evacuating more than 100 tourists from the island, which was one of the hardest-hit areas, suffering from severe flooding and damage.

In the Cayman Islands, widespread power outages have left many homes and businesses without electricity, and recovery efforts are ongoing as emergency crews work to clear debris and restore infrastructure.

As Rafael moves away from the Caribbean, it is expected to weaken as it continues over open waters. However, the National Hurricane Center cautioned that there remains “significant uncertainty” regarding the storm’s future track, as it heads toward northern Mexico. Authorities are monitoring the situation closely, keeping an eye on the storm’s potential to intensify or shift course.

Meanwhile, many Cubans were left picking up the pieces from Wednesday night, after a rocky few weeks in the Caribbean nation.

In October, the island was hit by an island-wide blackouts stretching on for days, a product of the island’s energy crisis. Shortly after, it was slapped by another powerful hurricane that killed at least six people in the eastern part of the island.

It stoked discontent already simmering in Cuba amid an ongoing economic crisis, which has pushed many to migrate from Cuba.

Rafael is the 17th named storm of the season.

An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, seven of them hurricanes and three major hurricanes.