Two weeks after the devastating impact of Hurricane Rafael in western Cuba, nearly 40% of Artemisa province, the hardest hit by the cyclone, remains without electricity.
Gladys Martínez Verdecia, president of the Provincial Defense Council, reported that by noon on Tuesday, only 63.55% of the population had their electricity service restored, two weeks after Rafael hit the province on November 6 as a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale (with a maximum of 5) and winds of around 180 kilometers per hour.
The official added that by Tuesday night, it was expected that service would have been restored to 69% of the customers, but this information has not been updated by the province's electric company on its official platforms.
According to the report from the official newspaper Granma, which quoted the leader's remarks, the municipalities of Alquízar and Caimito have the lowest percentage of electricity coverage, although no figures were disclosed. In contrast, Martínez did report that the municipality of San Cristóbal already has a coverage of 97%, while the city of Artemisa has 58%.
He also mentioned that a crew of linemen from Havana has been in Caimito since Tuesday, while another crew from Guantánamo is about to arrive in Alquízar to support local teams and those from other parts of the country in restoring electrical service in the province.
Martínez also provided an update on the state of communications and water supply in the province, which were similarly affected by the impact of the hurricane. According to his data, 91% of landline service and 88.8% of mobile service have been restored, while 84.5% of the population in Artemisa now has access to potable water supply.
Artemisa was the province most affected by Hurricane Rafael, which caused severe damage to homes, infrastructure, and crops as it crossed the territory from south to north on November 6.
The powerful winds of the cyclone knocked down hundreds of electricity poles and destroyed several high-voltage towers of 220 kV and 110 kV, leaving the provinces of Artemisa and Pinar del Río without electricity.
The first of the six high-tension towers was assembled and installed at kilometer 32 of the Havana-Pinar del Río highway last week.
This Tuesday, the Electric Company of Artemisa announced that the fifth tower of the 220 kV line had been raised.
Meanwhile, the electricity generation deficit in the country continues to worsen following the shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant this Tuesday to carry out urgent maintenance on the boiler.
For this Tuesday, the Electric Union forecasts 1,541 MW of outages during peak hours and a significantly high daytime impact of 1,200 MW.
Nine thermoelectric units are out of service in Cuba, a number that continues to rise in recent months.
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