Hurricane Ian has claimed the lives of at least two people in the western Cuban province of Pinar del Rio, cut power in the region and forced about 38,000 people to leave their homes, the Cuban Granma newspaper reported on Wednesday
MEXICO CITY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th September, 2022) Hurricane Ian has claimed the lives of at least two people in the western Cuban province of Pinar del Rio, cut power in the region and forced about 38,000 people to leave their homes, the Cuban Granma newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Early on Wednesday, the Cuban electricity supply company Union Electrica said that the power generation system on the island was completely out after the hurricane. The company also noted that power supply teams from all over the country were pulled to the western provinces to restore the networks.
Cuban officials refrain from making predictions about the timing of the restoration of the country's energy supply, the newspaper added.
According to the Cuban news agency Prensa Latina, Havana was also severely affected by hurricane-force winds with sustained gusts up to 123 kilometers per hour (76 miles per hour). Power lines were damaged in the region, more than a thousand fallen trees were counted, five buildings were completely destroyed, 68 partially damaged, the agency reported earlier in the day, adding that over 16,000 people were evacuated for safety reasons.
Tropical storm Ian formed in the Caribbean on September 24.