The Category 3 storm knocked out the country’s entire power grid just before making landfall, making it almost impossible for people to receive radio or television updates.
Hurricane Rafael pushed into the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday night after plowing across western Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane with winds so powerful it knocked out the entire country’s power grid.
Massive waves lashed at the shores of Havana as sharp winds and rain whipped at the city’s historic center, leaving trees littered on flooded streets on Wednesday evening.
Forecasters warned Rafael could bring “life-threatening” storm surges, winds and flash floods to western swaths of the island after it knocked out power and dumped rain on the Cayman Islands and Jamaica the day before. The extent of the damage was still unclear as of Wednesday night.
The storm was located 55 miles (90 kilometers) west-northwest of Havana on Wednesday. After plowing across the island, it slowed to a Category 2 hurricane. It had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (170 kph) and was moving northwest at 13 mph (20 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is bad news for Cuba, which is struggling with devastating blackouts while recovering from another hurricane two weeks ago that killed at least six people in the eastern part of the island.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Cuban government issued an alert for the incoming storm while crews in Havana worked to fortify buildings and clear scraps from seaside areas in anticipation of flooding.
