- The number of houses affected represents 60% of the total in Pinar del Río, the hardest hit by the violent hurricane, according to information from local media this Sunday.
At least five people died in Cuba from Hurricane Ian and more than 100,000 homes were damaged in the country’s westernmost province alone, official media reported on Sunday.
In addition to the three initially reported deaths, two technicians from the state company Unión Eléctrica were added, who had an accident while working to repair the damage caused by the hurricane in the provinces of Artemisa and Havana.
The number of affected houses represents about 60% of the total in the province. The main damage is on the roofs, which in Pinar del Río are mostly light, said the director of Housing for the province, Andrés Martín, quoted this Sunday by the official Cubadebate publication.
Ian severely hit Pinar del Río, where according to the official there is a complex situation because the province has a deficit of 6,000 houses, pending construction after past cyclones.
Housing is one of the areas most affected by this powerful hurricane, in addition to electrical and telephone services, drinking water supply and agricultural production, especially tobacco, the main product of that territory.
At the moment, only 7% of the 235,311 clients in Pinar del Río have electricity service, which, according to the authorities, must be restored within 15 to 20 days.
In Havana, the Electric Union reported that 95.3% of customers already have electricity, but there is still no service in specific places in the city. Regarding the water supply, it was reported that 92% of the population receives the service, with 170,000 pending clients.
Ian, a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale (maximum 5), is the first this season that has passed through Cuba, where it has caused numerous material losses that have not yet been fully quantified.