Heavy Rains Leave a Wake of Destruction in Havana
Heavy rain hit Havana on Wednesday, causing substantial material damage and leaving at least three people dead. According to official reports, 24 homes partially collapsed, while other three collapsed completely. The most affected areas were the northern municipalities of Centro Habana, Cerro, Old Havana, Plaza and Playa. So far local authorities have reported that more than 400 state-owned buildings were affected, including schools, warehouses, bus stations and bakeries. More than 1.400 houses flooded, over 200 water reservoirs were contaminated, and almost 40 electrical networks went out of service as well. Some of the main streets had to be closed, including the underpasses in the Fifth Avenue and Linea Street. Many of the buses that were circulating during the storm broke down. The official press reported two casualties: Julio Andino Arzonales, 23, from Old Havana, who was electrocuted by a fallen cable; and 79-year-old Marta Damiana Acanda, who drowned. The Victims At 100 Florida Street, in the municipality of Centro Habana, an adjoining building collapsed and crushed the house where Ernestina Ulacia had lived for 47 years. “We were in the house when it happened, my two daughters (15 and 24), my mother and I,” Ernestina’s daughter told OnCuba, “My mother,...