Hurricane Rafael causes severe damage in western Cuba

Hurricane Rafael, a Category 2 storm, caused significant damage in western Cuba, uprooting trees and utility poles, damaging roofs and state facilities, and leading to flooding. Artemisa was hit particularly hard.


Hurricane Rafael, currently a Category 2 storm and moving away from Cuba after heading out to sea, has caused fallen trees and utility poles, damage to roofs of homes and state facilities, as well as flooding in several affected areas.

Images circulating on social media reveal the extent of the damage, which adds to the destruction caused by Hurricane Oscar in Guantánamo.

Journalist José Luis Guía shared on Facebook a striking account of the devastation caused by the winds: “It is terrifying what is happening now in Artemisa with winds from the south, as the hurricane moves through the province with winds exceeding 150 kilometers per hour.”

The internet user Pilar De Cuba shared on Facebook some damage caused by the hurricane to a hospital facility.

Facebook Capture / Pilar De Cuba

Nelson Saez, on the same social network, shared a video capturing the moment when one of the towers of a baseball stadium in Artemisa collapsed.

The activist Idelisa Diasniurka Salcedo Verdecia published a photo gallery showcasing the damage caused by the hurricane in the municipality of Alquízar, Artemisa.

Facebook Capture / Idelisa Diasniurka Salcedo Verdecia

Damage to roofs, in state-run centers and homes, is some of the destruction that Frank González Gutiérrez also showcased on the social media platform Facebook.

Facebook Capture / Frank González Gutiérrez

The Government of Havana announced on its Facebook profile that the eye of Hurricane Rafael has left national territory, passing through the Bay of Cabañas in Artemisa.

Facebook Capture / Government of Havana

"However, in the western part of the country, the rain and winds will continue for several more hours," he noted.

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