Cuba's national electrical grid collapsed again yesterday as late-season Hurricane Rafael slammed into the island's southwest shore, packing sustained winds of 185 km/h and battering the capital city Havana with driving rain and violent gusts.
The U.S.-based National Hurricane Center warned of a “life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds, and flash floods” across western Cuba.
Cayo Largo, Cuba (Photo Credit: TravelPulse Canada)
Sunwing Vacations, which exclusively sells a group of resorts on Cuba’s Cayo Largo, an island off the southern coast, evacuated guests on Tuesday ahead of the storm.
While reports of storm damage have been slow to emerge due to power outages, Sunwing advised that Varadero Airport closed at 12:00 am yesterday and will remain closed until at least 12:00 pm local time today.
A statement on Sunwing’s Travel Advisories page stated:
“In response, Sunwing is proactively delaying all (Varadero) flights on board Sunwing Airlines with departures originally scheduled for tomorrow until November 7 at minimum, with the potential for flights on November 7 to be further delayed pending any changes to the airport's reopening date and time due to the impact of the storm. Sunwing customers with travel plans scheduled during this time are advised to sign up for flight alerts and check their flight status for the most up-to-date information.”
PHOTO: The streets of Havana, Cuba (By Mia Taylor) (Photo Credit: Travalliance Media)
Hurricane Rafael hit Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane after rapidly intensifying in the hours before landfall. It left Cuba slightly weakened to a Category 2, and its future path is unclear as it moves through the Gulf of Mexico. However, the National Hurricane Center says it no longer poses an immediate threat to land. The storm is the fifth major hurricane of the year in the Atlantic and the strongest this late in the year since 2020.
Rafael was the latest blow to Cuba’s precarious electrical grid, which collapsed multiple times just two weeks ago, leaving many in the country without power for days. Visitors to the island have escaped the worst of the problems, with many resorts keeping the lights on through generators.
According to Reuters, Cuba’s Energy and Mines Ministry said it had already begun work to reconnect the national grid late on Wednesday but warned that the process would be slower in the western parts of the island hardest hit by Rafael.
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