Electric workers from several provinces are heading to Havana to assist in the recovery efforts following the hurricane

Electrical workers from Las Tunas, Sancti Spíritus, and Ciego de Ávila departed for Havana to assist in the recovery efforts following Hurricane Rafael.

The Electric Union (UNE) reported that the advance team from the Tunero Vicente García contingent, consisting of 14 workers, two service vehicles, a crew, two technicians, and support staff, will reach the permitted limits to wait until the storm passes before continuing their journey to the western part of the country.

In the capital, there are currently 52 linemen and approximately 17 vehicles from the Electric Company of Sancti Spíritus that will support the repair of the damages.

In total, there are 122 linemen from that province and Ciego de Ávila who are expected to begin assisting as soon as weather conditions allow.

It is expected that these workers will join the 291 linemen in the city who will begin their tasks once the extent of the damage has been assessed.

For its part, the Electric Company of Havana reported that it also has 38 pruners, 45 light trucks, 19 bucket trucks, and 21 trucks and cranes.

This Wednesday, around 2:00 PM, the first effects of Hurricane Rafael began to be felt in the Cuban capital.

At 2:48 PM, just before the phenomenon made landfall in Cuba, the Electric Union announced that the strong winds had caused the disconnection of the National Electric System (SEN).

"Contingency protocols are being applied," noted the brief statement shared on Facebook.

Hours earlier, the UNE had announced that when the hurricane winds reached 60 km/h, there would be a "voluntary disconnection" of the electrical circuits in areas affected by the winds to prevent damage to infrastructure and protect people's lives.

A similar statement was made by Lázaro Guerra Hernández, general director of electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mines.

"We always do this, every time an event of this nature occurs, to prevent damage to the infrastructure and also to protect individuals from the risk of an energized conductor falling. It is essential to initiate the automatic disconnection of the circuits when winds exceed 60 km/h," he said.

Following the collapse of the general SEN in October, Minister Vicente De La O Levy addressed comments regarding another potential general failure, assuring that the conditions are not conducive to a widespread blackout.

However, he acknowledged that "the electrical system is fragile."