Blackout in Cuba after category 3 Ian hits
Hurricane Ian hit Cuba with great force. The category 3 storm caused immense damage and a power outage across the country. Meanwhile Ian has been upgraded to a category 4 storm and is approaching Florida.
Deserted streets
The streets of the Cuban city of Pinar del Rio are empty. The storm made landfall in western Cuba as a category 3 hurricane at about 5 a.m. Tuesday (local time). It caused great destruction. Torn off corrugated iron roofs were swept into power lines.
Electrical services interrupted
Electrical transformers litter this street in Pinar del Rio. People passing by survey the extent of the destruction. The hurricane caused flooding throughout the island, buildings and infrastructure facilities were severely damaged, and trees were uprooted. No deaths or injuries have been reported so far.
Through the storm
This passerby used a plastic tarp as protection from the driving rains. In the province of Pinar del Rio alone, 40,000 people had to leave their homes as a precaution. Nearby Artemisa and Havana also reported severe damage. The full extent is not yet clear.
Flooded land
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has visited the worst-hit region, according to state media. In view of the general shortage of many types of food and other basic necessities, Cubans were left with little more than makeshift preparations.
Blackout across Cuba
Hurricane Ian caused blackouts across the country. Cuba's power grid is considered dilapidated, and the infrastructure is outdated. Communication with people affected by the blackout was limited; according to reports on state television, internet access and telephone connections also didn't work in some places.
Taking stock
A Cuban family assesses what Ian left of their house after the hurricane tore off the roof. According to the Cuban Meteorological Office, Ian was the 12th recorded category 3 hurricane to hit Cuba this season. Climate change does not necessarily cause tropical cyclones to occur more frequently, but it does cause stronger ones, experts warn.
The aftermath
The skies over Havana are slowly clearing. With wind speeds of up to 225 kilometers per hour (140 miles per hour), Hurricane Ian is now headed to Florida. Governor Ron DeSantis and US President Joe Biden have declared a state and federal emergency, and 2.5 million people have already had to leave their homes and apartments on the orders of the authorities.