Havana — Hurricane Rafael made its way across the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, anticipated to dissipate after impacting Cuba, where it significantly disrupted the nation’s power supply and resulted in the destruction of a multitude of homes.

By Friday morning, this Category 2 hurricane was positioned approximately 230 miles north-northeast of Progreso, Mexico. It exhibited maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph) and was progressing northwest at 9 mph (15 kph), as reported by the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Forecasts indicated that Rafael would likely continue moving westward toward Mexico in the upcoming days. Authorities cautioned that the swell generated by the hurricane could lead to “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.” Despite these warnings, no hurricane alerts were currently issued, and it was anticipated that the storm would weaken and “drift” across the central Gulf region through the beginning of next week.

Earlier in the week, the hurricane wreaked havoc in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, leading to widespread power outages and triggering mudslides. On Wednesday night, Rafael struck Cuba, posing yet another challenge for the island nation.

The hurricane’s strong winds resulted in power outages across Cuba’s electric grid, necessitating the evacuation of over 283,000 individuals and causing the collapse of 461 residences. The storm also left a chaotic scene, with trees, downed power lines, and debris cluttering the flooded streets.

On Friday, the Cuban authorities announced that they had managed to restore electricity to around 143,000 households in Havana; however, many residents still remained without power.

This severe weather event followed a difficult period for the Caribbean nation. The nation had just experienced widespread blackouts lasting several days, driven by an ongoing energy crisis. Shortly thereafter, a powerful hurricane impacted the eastern region of the island, leading to the loss of at least six lives.