Cuba in total blackout as two million in Florida told to evacuate

Tropical Storm Hermine forms in in Atlantic near Canary Islands

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Hurricane Ian has left Cuba without any power and Florida quaking in fear as the “monster” storm barrelled across the ocean this morning. 2.5 million Americans were warned to evacuate to higher ground in the eastern US state, with the storm expected to hit Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday afternoon.

The state’s governor has warned of “catastrophic flooding” as a result of Hurricane Ian’s 130 mph winds, marking it out as a Category 3 or 4 hurricane.

Ron DeSantis said: “Mother Nature is a very fearsome adversary. It is a big storm, it is going to kick up a lot of water as it comes in. This thing’s the real deal. It is a major, major storm.”

The storm caused Cuba’s electrical grid to collapse, leaving the country’s entire 11million-strong population without power. Hurricane Ian made landfall at around 4.30 am on Tuesday in the Pinar del Rio province, sparking violent winds and flooding, after tens of thousands of people had been evacuated.

Two people were reported dead and buildings were damaged across the country, while officials warned of 15ft waves.

Evacuation orders were issued to over 300,000 people. State-run media reported “the Antonio Guiteras thermo-electric power plant . . . could not be synchronised” and that 100 percent of the electrical circuits in the country were out of service.

Lazaro Guerra, technical director of Cuba’s Electricity Union, said on Tuesday night: “There is no electricity service in any part of the country right now.” He said the union would work through the night and into Wednesday to restore power as soon as possible.

A 70-year-old resident in the eastern Cuban city of Pinar del Rio, was quoted by AFP as saying: “Desolation and destruction. These are terrifying hours. Nothing is left here.”

While Havana appeared to escape the eye of the storm, trees have been uprooted and low-lying areas flooded, leaving many of its roads impassable.

Mr DeSantis issued a stern warning to Florida residents as the hurricane approaches them, saying: “This is a really, really big hurricane. You still have time today to execute what you need to do. There’s going to be interruptions in communications, plan for that.

“We can’t un-ring the bell if you stay and you end up getting washed away, getting caught up in significant flooding of this historic storm.”

According to predictions, the storm will pass west of the Florida Keys, before it will head north through the Gulf of Mexico and hit Florida’s west coast, near the city of Tampa. The National Hurricane Centre has warned that it is the west coast that will be hit the hardest and were at the greatest risk of “life-threatening” storm surges.

Up to 2ft of rain is projected in Tampa by Friday. President Joe Biden said he had spoken to Mr DeSantis, who could well be his presidential opponent in the 2024 US election.

A White House spokeswoman said the two men “committed to continued close coordination” over the hurricane.

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The president, who also spoke to the mayors of Tampa, Clearwater and St Petersburg, said: “They’re doing everything they can to get their people out of harm’s way, but I told them, whatever they need, contact me directly. We’re here to support them in every way we can.”

The Pentagon said 3,200 national guardsmen had been activated in Florida to cope with the storm, and there would be an additional 1,800 later. Mr Biden added that Ian “could be a very severe hurricane, life threatening and devastating in its impact.”

Parts of the state saw its grocery store shelves left totally bare after locals hoarded supplies, while hardware stores were packed with Floridians looking to board up their homes and businesses.

Deanne Criswell, Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA], said: “If people are told to evacuate by their local officials, please listen to them. The decision you choose to make may be the difference between life and death.”

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