World

Cuba Starts Restoring Power After Hurricane Ian Causes Blackout


Cuban government start restoring power to the island’s electricity grid on Wednesday, but warned Cubans that the process would be slow and difficult after the entire nation was plunged into darkness overnight.

National electricity company Unión Eléctrica and state media said the heaviest damage was on the western part of the island, where crews are working slowly to restore power. Power is slowly returning to the east, where the storm caused little or no damage. And the hope is to start generating enough electricity in the east and center to connect the three sections. It is unclear how much power was restored on Wednesday morning.

Hurricane Ian made landfall in the western part of the Caribbean island on Tuesday as a powerful Category 3 storm, with winds of up to 125 mph, pouring inches of rain and causing deadly flooding.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy said the power grid had collapsed after the storm, leaving the country in the dark as it struggled to recover from massive flooding and widespread damage. Before sunset, people defy the rain and wind in search of food and basic supplies, lining up under shelters to buy a piece of chicken or a bottle of oil.

According to state media, at least two people were killed.

The western provinces of Cuba, where the storm made landfall, were hardest hit. Video shared on social media from the town of La Coloma, along Cuba’s southern coast, shows people in their homes with knee-deep water.

The storm comes as Cuba continues to recover from one of the worst periods of financial hardship in the country’s history, with the nation’s ailing infrastructure causing widespread power outages. Financial distress, coupled with ongoing political repression, has caused one of the biggest protest movement in decades last year.

The island has long suffered the brunt of Atlantic hurricanes. In 2008, hurricanes Gustav and Ike exploded across the country, killing at least seven people, damaging crops and buildings, and triggering more than 150 landslides in Havana.





Source link

news7f

News7F: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button