### Hurricane Rafael Causes Nationwide Blackout in Cuba

Cuba experienced a complete shutdown of its national power grid after Hurricane Rafael made an impactful landfall on the island’s southwest coast as a formidable Category 3 storm. On Wednesday, Union Eléctrica, the national power company, remarked that "Strong winds caused by the powerful Hurricane Rafael have caused the disconnection of the national electrical system. Contingency protocols have been applied."

In a preemptive move, the energy and mines ministry earlier indicated that a "controlled disconnection of power circuits" would be implemented to prevent accidents and unscheduled power outages. Just before the blackout, the US National Hurricane Center confirmed that Rafael had struck Cuba's western province of Artemisa, bringing "life-threatening storm surge, damaging hurricane-force winds, and flash flooding."

This latest power cut came on the heels of Hurricane Oscar, which pummeled the island three weeks ago, causing a four-day nationwide blackout due to the failure of the island's largest power plant and a concurrent fuel shortage. Sporadic outages have persisted since then, igniting widespread frustration on social media forums. Many users noted that Cuba’s power grid had previously withstood more severe hurricanes, such as the 2017 Category 5 storm Irma.

With power already out for much of the previous week, one commentator pointed out, "This [announcement] is obviously for Havana, because the rest of the provinces haven't had power for days anyway." Currently, nine provinces in west and central Cuba, including the capital Havana, are on high alert. Over 70,000 residents have been evacuated, predominantly from Guantánamo in the east, where Hurricane Oscar claimed eight lives last month.

An anonymous farmer within Rafael's projected path remarked, "I think no one expected to get Category 3. I don't think everyone was really ready." In Havana, the hurricane battered a city already suffering from crumbling infrastructure with howling winds measured at 115 km/h (71.6 mph) in the Casablanca neighborhood.

In response to the crisis, President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced on X that the national defense council had been mobilized to manage the hurricane's impact. "We have activated the national defense council to provide the maximum attention to the passage of Hurricane Rafael," he stated. "Measures have been taken in each place to protect our people and material resources. As we have always done since the Revolution, we will overcome this situation."

Meanwhile, in Alquizar, approximately 48 km (30 miles) south-west of Havana, residents like 57-year-old Liset Herrera were left in the dark, unable to track Rafael's progress due to the lack of electricity. The US State Department has advised citizens to reconsider travel plans to Cuba due to the severe weather.

Neighboring Caribbean nations have also felt Rafael's impact. On Tuesday, the storm caused power outages and flooding in parts of Jamaica. The Cayman Islands experienced similar disruptions, with power outages reported after the storm's direct hit on Tuesday night.

As Rafael moves northward, it is expected to weaken but will still bring significant rainfall to Florida and parts of the southeastern United States by the end of the week. The National Hurricane Center anticipates storm surges in Florida reaching 1-3 feet in Dry Tortugas and 1-2 feet in the lower Florida Keys.