Cuba cleans up hurricane damage, sends medical staff across Caribbean

September 14, 2017
Issue 
People walk through flooded streets in Havana after the passage of Hurricane Irma in Cuba.

Cuban brigades and volunteers are continuing the arduous task of rebuilding after the damaging and deadly effects of Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful storms to hit the region that left dozens dead and caused widespread damage.

Described by meteorologists as one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit the Caribbean in a century, Irma left a path of widespread destruction in Cuba and several north-eastern Caribbean Islands, especially Barbuda.

Cuba's Civil Defence reported 10 casualties after Irma ravished the island. The causes of death included electrocution, fallen electric cables and collapsed buildings, among others.

Cuban President Raul Castro released a statement emphasising the need for organisation to recover from the storm. The president noted that due to the sheer size of the tropical storm, “practically no territory was spared its effects,” adding that “homes, electrical systems and the agricultural sector” have all been affected, including tourist areas.

He emphasised that the country had to move forward with the arduous work of rebuilding what the hurricane's wind and rain destroyed.

Venezuelan Minister of Interior Nestor Luis Reverol Torres said Venezuela has sent 10 tons of food, drinking water, medicines, mattresses and other items to help Cubans recover.

Despite internal devastation, Cuba has dispatched 771 physicians to several Caribbean islands in the wake of the tropical storm's destruction.

[Compiled from TeleSUR English.]

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