Hurricane Rafael caused serious damage in San Antonio de los Baños

The hurricane knocked down poles, roofs, and trees, blocked roads, and flooded areas. Recovery will be extensive, according to local authorities.

Daños en San Antonio de los Baños © La Hora de Cuba / Facebook
Damage in San Antonio de los BañosPhoto © La Hora de Cuba / Facebook

The municipality of San Antonio de los Baños, in Artemisa, has been one of the hardest hit by Hurricane Rafael.

The strong winds that swept through the area brought down utility poles, roofs of houses, as well as large trees and branches, leaving streets and roads blocked, along with debris from the damaged structures.

The heavy rains caused the water level of the Ariguanabo River to rise in the low area of the bridges, between La Placita and Plaza del 26.

Some neighborhoods and courtyards in the lower part of the town were flooded due to slow drainage.

According to the president of the municipal government, in an interview with Radio Ariguanabo, "there are many tasks" that will need to be carried out during the recovery phase.

Capture from Facebook / Radio Ariguanabo

The portal La Hora de Cuba shared images of the devastation, which include damage to roofs and fallen cables in public spaces.

Facebook Capture / The Hour of Cuba

The fallen trees, some uprooted, crushed benches in the Church park and the Humor park.

"In the iconic park at the Train Stop, a tree over a hundred years old fell, according to local residents who are observing the damage," the report specified.

"In Punta de Rosa, which serves as an informal terminal for the dispatch of cars and trucks, a pine tree fell on one of the sales outlets," he added.

The headquarters of the Tobacco Company suffered significant damage.

Facebook Capture / ABT Lázaro Peña Company

According to journalist Meylin Pérez, the Base Business Unit (UEB) Droguería Artemisa experienced significant damage in its warehouses, affecting "the roofing of key areas related to medications, damaging products and structures."

Facebook Capture / Meylin Pérez

"Efforts are being made to recover the affected medications," he said on Facebook.

Photo: Facebook / Meylin Pérez

The state-controlled newspaper El Artemiseño reported that the Iván Portuondo General Teaching Hospital is experiencing serious damage due to the strong winds associated with Hurricane Rafael.

The facility has damage to the roofing in much of the center, where the winds have torn off the waterproof covers, which in turn have broken several pipes, including those in the premature infants' room, disrupting the water supply in that area.

The therapy and pre-labor rooms lost their air conditioning compressors, which were thrown from the roof by the winds.

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