Hurricane Ian: When it hit the western tip of the island as a strong hurricane on Tuesday, Hurricane Ian destroyed some of the most significant tobacco plantations in the nation and knocked out electricity throughout the whole country.
The 11 million citizens of Cuba will gradually have service restored, according to a statement from the Electric Union of Cuba. About 1 million people in Cuba’s western provinces initially lost power, but eventually the entire grid collapsed.
Ian struck a Cuba that has recently seen repeated power outages and an ongoing economic crisis. It devastated Pinar del Ro region, where a large portion of the tobacco needed to make Cuba’s famous cigars is grown, when it made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on the western coast of the island.
Authorities still evaluating damage
Prior to Ian’s arrival, tens of thousands of people were evacuated, and others left the area. This led to flooding, destroyed homes, and toppled trees. Although there had not yet been any reports of casualties as of Tuesday night, authorities were still evaluating the damage.
One of Cuba’s most significant tobacco plantations, located near La Robaina, was damaged by Ian’s winds.
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Hirochi Robaina, owner of the farm that carries his name and that his grandfather made well-known abroad, described it as “apocalyptic, a real calamity.”
Robaina, who is also the proprietor of the Finca Robaina cigar factory, shared images of destroyed waggons, wrecked greenhouses, and wood-and-thatch roofs on social media.
Cuban President Miguel Daz-Canel reportedly visited the damaged area, according to state media.
The city of Pinar del Ro experienced the brunt of the hurricane for an hour and a half, according to Cuba’s Meteorology Institute.
Pinar del Rio resident Yusim Palacios remarked, “Being in the hurricane was horrific for me, but we are here alive,” and he requested a roof and a mattress from the government.
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In addition to evacuating 50,000 people and establishing 55 shelters, authorities took action to safeguard crops, particularly tobacco.
The hurricane, which had top sustained winds of 125 mph, had “severe wind and storm surge damage” on Cuba, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (205 kph).
Over the warm Gulf of Mexico, Ian was predicted to intensify further and approach the southwest coast of Florida, where 2.5 million people were urged to flee, with maximum winds of 130 mph (209 kph).
Cuba saw pictures of devastation as the storm’s centre headed towards the Gulf. The damage in its well-known tobacco belt was still being evaluated by authorities.
The primary hospital in Pinar del Rio city sustained significant damage, according to local government station TelePinar, which tweeted pictures of fallen trees and broken ceilings. No fatalities were noted.
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