All of Cuba was without power late Tuesday after Hurricane Ian swept through in the morning and severely flooded the Caribbean island.
The latest: Work was under way to restore power to the nation of 11 million after the electrical grid collapsed due to the major hurricane, per a statement from Cuba’s Electric Union.
- Ian initially cut power to roughly 1 million Cuban residents as thousands of people fled the storm, AP notes.
The big picture: Ian made landfall as a Category 3 storm at 4:30am ET Tuesday in Pinar del Río province, western Cuba — where officials set up shelters, evacuated thousands of people and rushed in emergency personnel to help protect crops in the nation’s main tobacco-growing region.
State of play: The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said “significant wind and storm surge impacts” occurred Tuesday morning in the west coast of the island.
- Ian struck with sustained winds of 125 mph and left the island after 1 pm ET on Tuesday, when it entered the Gulf of Mexico, the NHC tweeted.
- Antonio Rodríguez, president of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INRH), told local reporters that the entity was “keeping a close watch” on the dams in western Cuba, which are at 94% capacity.
What they’re saying: “All the country’s aid will be centered on this province, heavily damaged by #HurricaneIan,” Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel tweeted from Pinar del Río, where officials evacuated around 40,000 people.
What we’re watching: Ian was expected to bring western Cuba 6 to 12 inches of rain with isolated totals up to 16 inches.
- Rain was likely to lead to flash flooding and mudslides, per the NHC.
Go deeper: Hurricane Ian approaches Category 4 intensity as it heads toward Florida
