HAVANA (AP) — Tropical Storm Oscar advanced across eastern Cuba early Monday after making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on the island already beleaguered by a massive power outage.
Its maximum sustained winds were blowing at 60 mph (95 kph) early Monday as Oscar moved west-southwest at 5 mph (8 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Oscar made landfall in the eastern province of Guantanamo, near the city of Baracoa, on Sunday evening with winds of 75 mph (120 kph).
Rain and flooding in low-lying areas were reported in eastern provinces. Cuban media said 2-meter (6.5-feet) swells were hitting the coast and roofs and walls in Baracoa had been damaged.
The storm is expected to move across the island into Monday and approach the central Bahamas on Tuesday, U.S. forecasters said.
Cuba suffered an island-wide power blackout Friday. Some electrical service was restored Saturday, but most residents remain without power. The country’s energy minister expressed hope the grid could be restored Monday or Tuesday.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel told a meeting with energy workers that the crisis was caused by objective problems with fuel, financing and power generation capacity, while acknowledging that many saw mismanagement as the cause.
Residents of the capital of Cuba, where the collapse of the national power grid has left millions of people without power, are concerned about the situation, which is compounded by a shortage of fuel for generators and kitchens.
Sputnik / ABC Flash Point News 2024.
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Cuban engineers restored electricity supply to 70% of customers of the state grid company, Union Electrica, the Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines said.