Amidst so many vicissitudes and damage, Havana residents tried to get on with their lives. But the wounds from the hurricane’s harsh blow will take some time to forget.
November 6 will remain sadly etched in the memory of Havana residents. Although Hurricane Rafael hit the neighboring province of Artemisa with particular cruelty, its impact on Havana was also violent.
Although the damage has not yet been fully compiled, the images from the day after are revealing and painful: collapsed walls and roofs, trees knocked down by the winds, poles, and cables on the ground, debris and rubble scattered across the streets…
Fallen tree in front of the Spanish embassy in Havana due to the ravages of Hurricane Rafael. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.A man removes debris of a building on Santiago Street, Havana, as a result of Hurricane Rafael. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.
According to this Thursday’s information provided by the Havana authorities, the first counts speak of 461 total and partial collapses, nearly 500 fallen poles with more than 100 transformers affected, and damage to the gas infrastructure, among other serious problems.
So far, no deaths have been reported ― as happened during Hurricane Irma, seven years ago ― nor was there severe flooding this time in the areas near the coast, but the losses are great, both for the state infrastructure and for families.
A family’s belongings on a street in Havana, after Hurricane Rafael. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Fallen trees damaged by Hurricane Rafael in San Juan de Dios Park, in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.
The hurricane also brought another general blackout in Cuba due to a new disconnection of the Electric Power System and, with it, more hours of darkness for the capital and the entire country, with the consequences that this implies for people, for life.
Although this Thursday some areas of the city were already beginning to have electricity, the damage caused by the hurricane in Havana’s electrical infrastructure will undoubtedly make the recovery work very complex. The same authorities have warned that the work could be delayed, even with the support of brigades from other provinces.
A cyclist illuminated by the lights of a car in Havana during the general blackout caused by Hurricane Rafael. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Electric pole knocked down by Hurricane Rafael in Vedado, Havana. Photo: Milena Recio.
Amid so many vicissitudes, this Thursday the people of Havana tried to continue with their lives. While some returned to their homes ― thousands had to evacuate ― and assessed the damage, others returned to the streets as part of the unavoidable survival.
Procuring food, rescuing or fixing belongings, checking in with their loved ones, recharging phones and other equipment where there was electricity, and even socializing and disconnecting from the tragedy, were the reasons for many. They also wanted to contribute in some way to recovery, particularly in their surroundings, in their neighborhoods, given the overwhelming force that what happened represents for the state forces.
People charge their cellphones in Havana one day after Hurricane Rafael hit. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.People play dominoes on a street in Havana, one day after Hurricane Rafael hit. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.
From people silently carrying their belongings, or removing debris from their homes, or cutting, machete in hand, the thick trunks and branches of fallen trees on their blocks, to others cooking in the street, or playing dominoes with friends, or charging their cellphones with a group of strangers, they were part of the landscape this Thursday in the city.
This is how OnCuba found them on a tour of some areas of Havana and this is how we show them now along with other images of the damage caused by Rafael, as a testimony to the scourge of a hurricane that will not soon be forgotten.
People in Centro Habana one day after Hurricane Rafael hit. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.People in Havana one day after Hurricane Rafael hit. In the background, the Turkish electricity boat. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.13 de marzo Park, in Havana, one day after Hurricane Rafael hit. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Remains of the Cuban flag in 13 de marzo Park, in Havana, damaged by Hurricane Rafael. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Remains of the Cuban flag in 13 de marzo Park, in Havana, damaged by Hurricane Rafael. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Tree knocked down by Hurricane Rafael in Vedado, Havana. Photo: Milena Recio.Tree knocked down by Hurricane Rafael in Vedado, Havana. Photo: Milena Recio.Tree knocked down by Hurricane Rafael in Vedado, Havana. Photo: Milena Recio.Fallen trees damaged by Hurricane Rafael in San Juan de Dios Park, Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Tree damaged by Hurricane Rafael in Vedado, Havana. Photo: Milena Recio.Tree damaged by Hurricane Rafael in Vedado, Havana. Photo: Milena Recio.Neighbors cut down trees knocked down by Hurricane Rafael in Vedado, Havana. Photo: Milena Recio.Neighbors cut down trees knocked down by Hurricane Rafael in Vedado, Havana. Photo: Milena Recio.Neighbors cut down trees knocked down by Hurricane Rafael in Vedado, Havana. Photo: Milena Recio.Neighbors remove debris from the street in Vedado, Havana, one day after Hurricane Rafael hit. Photo: Milena Recio.Neighbors clean a street in Vedado, Havana, one day after Hurricane Rafael hit. Photo: Milena Recio.Electric pole knocked down by Hurricane Rafael in Vedado, Havana. Photo: Milena Recio.Electric pole knocked down by Hurricane Rafael in Vedado, Havana. Photo: Milena Recio.People walk with their belongings along Monte Street, in Havana, one day after Hurricane Rafael hit. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Water accumulates on Monte Street, in Havana, due to clogged sewers, one day after Hurricane Rafael hit. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.A man removes debris of a building on Santiago Street, Havana, as a result of Hurricane Rafael. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.View of a tenement house in Centro Habana, after Hurricane Rafael hit. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.A man walks with his pets through Centro Habana, one day after Hurricane Rafael hit. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.People play dominoes on a street in Havana, one day after Hurricane Rafael hit. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.People fishing on the seafront in Havana, one day after Hurricane Rafael hit. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.People charge their cellphones in Havana one day after Hurricane Rafael hit. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.People prepare a stew in Havana, one day after Hurricane Rafael hit. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.People in Havana, one day after Hurricane Rafael hit. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.A car drives by a man rummaging through garbage in Havana, one day after Hurricane Rafael hit. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez
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