In Cuba, the nationwide power supply collapsed as a result of Hurricane “Ian”. The hurricane had previously left a trail of destruction in the western Caribbean island. The breakdown of the national electricity system, partly caused by the storm, has damaged infrastructure, state media quoted the technical director of the Cuban electricity company Lazaro Guerra on Tuesday evening (local time). The US state of Florida is already preparing for the dangerous hurricane. The US Hurricane Center warned of a life-threatening storm surge and hurricane gusts on Florida’s west coast.
Cuba is currently working on solving the problems after the hurricane. Restoring the power supply is a complicated process that, according to the state electricity supplier UNE, will take place gradually during the night and in the morning. In the capital Havana, only the lights could be seen in the few buildings with generators, mostly in hotels. Parts of the country, including the capital, were without power for most of Tuesday.
The full extent of the destruction still unclear
The storm made landfall early Tuesday morning (local time) in western Cuba as a Category 3 of 5 hurricane. It wreaked havoc: there was flooding, buildings and infrastructure were badly damaged, trees were uprooted – including in Havana. The full extent was still unclear. “The damage is significant, even if it has not yet been statistically recorded,” President Miguel Díaz-Canel wrote on Twitter after a visit to the province of Pinar del Río, which was particularly hard hit.
There was initially no official information about possible deaths. The state energy company sent hundreds of technicians to the affected provinces to repair the aging infrastructure.
“Life-threatening, with devastating consequences”
The center of the hurricane has now moved further towards the US state of Florida: “Predictions may change, but at the moment experts say this could be a very severe hurricane, life-threatening and with devastating consequences,” said the US president. Joe Biden on Tuesday (local time). Evacuation instructions were applied to 2.5 million people – numerous people got to safety. “Ian” is expected to make landfall Wednesday evening (local time).
Power plants cannot meet the demand for electricity
Cuba’s power supply was highly unreliable even before “Ian”. The infrastructure is outdated, the power stations cannot meet the demand for electricity. Many parts of the country are experiencing frequent, prolonged power outages – some social media users have reported daily outages of up to 6pm in recent months.
Havana introduced a controlled four-hour blackout every three days in August out of “solidarity” with the rest of the country — in practice, they’ve been less predictable lately. Frequent power cuts during the hottest season sparked massive anti-government protests in July 2021.
Tropical Storm Noru wreaks havoc in Asia
Extreme weather is also currently wreaking havoc in Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, hundreds of thousands of people were brought to safety from Tropical Storm Noru, and ten airports were closed. There were power cuts. Heavy rains fell in the affected regions on Tuesday, before “Noru” even made landfall. Vietnamese media reported that it is expected to be one of the most violent typhoons to hit the country in the past two decades. “Noru” previously swept the Philippines at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour as of Sunday. Many areas are under water, several people have died.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
