Hurricane Rafael - Nov 2024

Tropical Storm Rafael will hit the western part of Cuba, including Havana, like a hurricane around Wednesday, November 6th. The maximum sustained winds are currently at 95 kilometers per hour, although a significant increase in its strength and large swells is expected as the system approaches the southern waters of Cuba.

Five western provinces and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud remain under cyclone alert, with over 3.8 million people potentially exposed to the impacts of the system.

At the same time, the central and eastern regions of the country are experiencing the effects of intense rainfall associated with a trough. Both Tropical Storm Rafael and the trough arrive less than three weeks after the eastern part of Cuba, particularly the province of Guantánamo, suffered the impacts of Hurricane Oscar, which resulted in eight fatalities, two people missing, and substantial material damage.

The trajectory forecasts for the new storm predominantly cover the provinces of Artemisa, Pinar del Río, and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud, but they also predict potential damage in the capital city, which would pose risks to infrastructure and housing. Significant impacts on agriculture, livelihoods, and electrical infrastructure are also anticipated amid a complex energy situation. (OCHA, 05 Nov 2024)

48 hours after the impact of Hurricane Rafael in western and central Cuba, preliminary figures show significant damage to homes, electrical infrastructure and basic services, as well as agriculture, in a context of ongoing response to Hurricane Oscar, which affected eastern Cuba three weeks ago. [...]

So far, no human losses have been reported, and specialized brigades have been deployed from nearby provinces to support the recovery, including the restoration of basic services and cleaning up debris. The greatest damage is concentrated in the province of Artemisa, where the hurricane severely impacted its 11 municipalities. The intense damage includes the demolition of 10 electricity towers. Several communities are cut off or very difficult to access due to falling trees and power lines, as well as flooding and overflowing rivers. (UNCT Cuba, 08 Nov 2024)

Approximately 800,000 people have suffered the damages caused by this powerful hurricane in the most exposed territories of Artemisa, Mayabeque, Havana and Isla de la Juventud. [...]

Following Hurricane Rafael, severe damage to the electrical system caused the water supply to be affected in the western provinces. A week after the impact, in the province of Artemisa, only 17% of the inhabitants had recovered the water supply service and in Havana, only 20%. In Mayabeque, the interruption of electricity service and water pumping continued in the municipalities of Batabanó, Quivicán, Melena del Sur and Nueva Paz. [...]

The impact of Hurricane Rafael has so far left (damage is still quantified), some 25,471 homes with various damages, concentrating its impact in the province of Artemisa with more than 83% of the damage. Severe effects predominate considering the ravages of strong category 3 winds. As a result, some 92,000 victims have been identified. At the same time, around 60,000 people (20,000 families) have been identified with severe problems in accessing electricity; they have had coverage with small photovoltaic systems as an immediate alternative, among others to access water. At the same time, damage to the conventional power grid has affected an additional 305,000 people. [...]

With Hurricane Rafael, a total of 144 health institutions were damaged in the three affected provinces of the western region. These include 28 hospitals, 43 polyclinics, 123 family doctor's offices and 51 other types of clinics. In Artemisa, significant damage is reported in two hospitals, the José Ramón Martínez Pediatric Hospital in Guanajay and the Ciro Redondo García General Hospital in the municipality of Artemisa. (UNCT Cuba, OCHA, 25 Nov 2024)