HAVANA, Oct 4 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — Authorities from Cuba and the United States exchange information on the extensive damage caused in both countries by Hurricane Ian, the Foreign Ministry reported Monday.
On its Twitter account, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported: ‘Cuban and US governments have exchanged information on the considerable damage and unfortunate losses caused by Hurricane Ian in both countries.’
The note also points out that ‘we also maintain communication with other governments interested in the damage and needs for recovery in Cuba.’
The passage of the hurricane through western Cuba last week left three dead, tens of thousands of evacuees, thousands of homes destroyed or partially damaged and heavy losses in agriculture, especially in the tobacco harvest, the main economic line of the province. from Pinar del Rio.
Likewise, great damages were reported in the infrastructure, especially in the electricity networks.
It also caused millions of damage in Florida, United States, where the death of at least 87 people and considerable material losses were reported.
WASHINGTON: As federal emergency management officials launched their largest ever search and rescue effort, death toll in Hurricane Ian’s wake jumped to 87.
That figure was expected to rise as additional deaths were investigated for possible ties to last week’s storm.
Fatalities so far have included 83 in Florida, where Ian struck as a Category 4 hurricane Wednesday, and four in North Carolina, where the storm ended up after hammering the coast of South Carolina Friday.
Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Deanne Criswell said FEMA Urban Search and Rescue teams, the Coast Guard, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Defense will work with Florida officials to search for people who remain unaccounted for after Ian.
With rescue efforts underway and floodwaters receding in places filled with wrecked homes, local officials warned that the extent of the death and destruction left by Ian may be barely in sight.
On Sunday, portions of multiple Florida counties, including parts of Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, St. Johns and Sarasota, remained under mandatory evacuation orders.
The number of utility customers without power in Florida and in other South Atlantic states remained well under 1 million Sunday: An estimated 746,049 households and businesses were without electricity in Florida early Sunday evening, according to PowerOutage.us.
Plus, Florida residents claimed to be facing hard times in getting fuel for their vehicles, while they remain with no access to drinking water or power supply.
Due to ravages caused by Ian, President Joe Biden, who will visit the region on Wednesday, declared the state of Florida as major disaster area. — NNN-PRENSA LATINA
