CUBA 'CANED
Irma ran length of isle, killing 24+
Before it made landfall in Florida on Sunday, Hurricane Irma crushed Cuba, killing dozens and leaving an unimaginable path of destruction on the island nation.
Irma practically ran the length of Cuba over the weekend, with torrential rains and storm surges washing out farmlands, and 130mph winds ripping roofs off buildings in big cities like Havana.
Palm trees were ripped out of the ground near Havana’s iconic Malecón — the picturesque seawall at the mouth of Havana Harbor — where 36-foot waves were reported.
Women, old men and kids paddled or waded through chest-level waters in the streets of major Cuban cities in the storm’s aftermath.
Irma was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike Cuba since November 1932.
“It’s a complete disaster, and it will take a great deal of work to get Varadero back on its feet,” Osmel de Armas, 53, a photographer from Varadero, one the island’s top tourist destinations.
Hector Pulpito, a 33-year-old janitor in Varadero, said he had witnessed his share of killer storms — but none like Irma.
“I felt great fear. This was the worst of the storms I have been through, and the sea rose much higher,” Pulpito said. “The trees were shaking. Metal roofs went flying.”
The Cuban government, which prides itself on disaster preparedness, did not immediately list a death toll from this weekend’s hurricane.
News reports on Sunday night estimated the Cuban death toll to be between 24 and 28.
“Most people are trapped in their homes, safe but unable to get out,” civil defense officer Emanuel Gámez told the official Communist Party newspaper Granma. “The majority of people in houses that are still there have some level of deterioration.”
At least 1 million Cubans were evacuated at some point during the storm, taking shelter in government buildings, schools and even caves.
Cuban citizens said they were grateful for what little they had left following the storm.
“Honestly, I expected worse. I thought I would come back and find the roof gone,” said Yolexis Domingo, 39, as he slashed through tree branches and debris with a machete in the fishing town of Caibarién on Sunday.
“Still, it is going to be a while before I can come back to live here. The water came up to a meter high and some of the roof flew off.”