The island plunged into darkness on Friday after the collapse of its largest power plant
Hurricane Oscar slammed into Cuba on Sunday, bringing heavy rains and strong winds as the countryβs 10 million people were already grappling with a massive power outage.
The storm struck shortly after the collapse of the islandβs largest power plant on Friday, which crippled the national grid and resulted in an almost country-wide blackout, according to reports. Oscar, classified as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of nearly 80 mph (130km/h), made landfall in the eastern province of Guantanamo, near the city of Baracoa.
By late Sunday, the hurricane had weakened to a tropical storm with 70 mph winds, the US National Hurricane Center said, adding that the storm could still cause significant flash flooding and mudslides in eastern areas.
HAVANA – Hurricane Oscar made landfall on Sunday evening in Cuba, where residents were preparing for more chaos and misery as the country grapples with a nearly nationwide power outage in its third day. The arrival of Oscar, after the Friday collapse of Cuba’s largest power plant crippled the whole national grid, piles pressure on a country already battling sky-high inflation and shortages of food, medicine, fuel and water.
