ARTEMISA, Cuba – Hurricane Rafael slammed into Cuba on Wednesday as a powerful Category 3 storm, and new images are emerging that provide a glimpse of the damage it caused as it passed over the island on its way to the Gulf of Mexico.
Video recorded in the town of Artemisa, southwest of Havana, shows Rafael’s brutal winds blowing through a baseball stadium as the hurricane rages through the region.
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The video shows a palm tree being tested by the heavy winds, and that’s when a large floodlight pole begins to lean to one side. Then, almost in an instant, the spotlights fall and slam into the ground, kicking up dust and dirt that is quickly blown away by the relentless wind.
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Photos also show the devastation caused by Hurricane Rafael.
People are seen walking through the floods caused by the late storm’s brutal rainfall. Palm trees were toppled and many buildings suffered significant damage.
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Power also went out across the region after critical infrastructure was hit by the storm.
Another video shows power lines strewn across roads and huge cell towers blown down by Rafael’s wrath.
Cuba and parts of the western Caribbean undoubtedly bore the brunt of the storm, which brought damaging hurricane force winds, pouring rain and a life-threatening situation. storm surge.
A weather station in the Casablanca area of Havana reported a wind gust of 150 km/h around the time Rafael made landfall.
Hurricane Rafael made landfall near Playa Majana, Cuba on Wednesday. Maximum sustained winds were 185 km/h.
Original article source: Watch as Hurricane Rafael’s whipping winds topple stadium floodlights in Cuba
