How did the hurricane hit Varadero? Severe flooding continues in the harbor caused by Hurricane Irma

The devastating hurricane Irma, which has already devastated the territory of several countries Caribbean hit Cuba on Saturday.

TV channels show how multi-meter waves flood the legendary Malecon of Havana, a favorite place for walking residents of the capital and foreign tourists eight kilometers long. Electricity was cut off in some parts of Havana and drinking water, there were interruptions in communication. Until noon on Sunday local time (17:00 Moscow time), the Jose Marti International Airport, through which most foreign tourists arrive in Cuba, is closed.

However, experts say, the "eye" of "Irma" did not reach the capital itself, inflicting the main blow 200 kilometers from it. Wind gusts in Camagüey province reached 260 km/h.

As noted by AFP, Irma is the first hurricane of this magnitude since 1932, which directly affected the territory of Cuba. Seven-meter waves were recorded on the northern coast of Cuba by the local meteorological service, and residents of Havana received an "alert" about the danger of flooding.

In total, about two million people in Cuba were forced to leave their homes. "Given the inevitability of Irma, every minute was precious," the main newspaper of Cuba, Granma, wrote in its editorial. The hurricane caused the most severe damage in Saint Lucia in the province of Camaguey. Waves several meters high caused significant damage to houses and tourist sites, notes cadenagramonte.cu.

There was no information about possible casualties and damage from Cuba.

Cuba, since the days of Fidel Castro, has one of the best warning and evacuation systems in the world in the event of natural disasters and is well prepared for natural disasters. At the same time, each new hurricane is a painful blow to the Cuban economy, which is living under the conditions of an unprecedented blockade by the United States, which, by the way, was extended by President Trump on Friday for another year.

Meanwhile, the US Hurricane Center (NCA), in a bulletin released Saturday night, noted that "Irma's eye is beginning to slowly move off the coast of Cuba, resulting in a sharp deterioration in the weather in South Florida." In the southeastern United States, "several hundred kilometers of coastline are expected to be flooded due to the action of a potentially deadly storm," the US National Weather Service (NWS) warned in turn.

The inhabitants of this "sunny" american state, where about 20 million people live, fled their homes in panic. As AFP notes with reference to meteorologists, Irma will reach southeast coast USA already on Sunday with wind gusts of 240 kilometers per hour and could cause massive flooding.

Local authorities warn that "there is no longer a place where people can be safe" in the Florida Keys, a popular tourist destination in south Florida. Here, according to official estimates, about a million people have already been evacuated from the coastal zone, but the number of people who hastily left their homes could be much higher. In total, about 6.3 million people were evacuated from their homes in the state as of Saturday evening - that is, one in three residents of Florida.

Home to a sizable Cuban expat community - more than a million people who fled Liberty Island - Miami is mostly low-income people, observers estimate. Those who have not yet been evacuated are either looking for places in shelters, or trying to somehow protect their miserable homes with boards. "The roofs from the houses will fly in any case, these houses are rotten through and through," Pedro Marti, a refugee from Cuba, admitted. In an interview, he called the defense of his plywood plank home "ridiculous."

Meanwhile, the streets of Miami, this "lazy and idle" city, have become unusually deserted. Beaches without vacationers, deserted streets and empty skyscrapers - Miami Beach overnight became a "ghost town". Mayor of this famous resort town Phil Levine called Irma "a nuclear hurricane...so powerful and so vast."

The US authorities, which earlier declared a state of emergency in the states of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, decided to introduce it also in Virginia, believing that Irma could reach northeast coast countries. "This is a storm of immense destructive power, and I ask all those in the path of the storm to follow all instructions from government officials," Donald Trump tweeted. He spent the weekend at presidential residence at Camp David, where two weeks ago I was monitoring the effects of Hurricane Harvey.

Please note that in order to help local authorities authorities, the US Navy announced the dispatch from the port of Norfolk, Virginia, the aircraft carrier "Abraham Lincoln", two landing Vehicle and another ship. These four ships, carrying 300 people and 27 helicopters, should provide assistance if necessary. medical care, logistical assistance and safety for people affected by Hurricane Irma, the US Navy said in a statement.

Recall that "Irma" has become one of the most destructive hurricanes in the world for at least the last decade. Its deadly effect has been going on for almost five days. At the same time, the hurricane hit the inhabitants of the poor countries of the Caribbean, who already live in extremely difficult conditions.

In total, according to official estimates, Hurricane Irma claimed the lives of 25 people (10 in the French part and two in the Dutch part of St. Maarten, four in the US Virgin Islands, six in the British part Virgin Islands and the Anguilla archipelago, two in Puerto Rico, one in Barbuda). The number of casualties could increase significantly as the rubble is cleared. It is known that, for example, on the island of Barbuda, at least 80 percent of the buildings were destroyed.

Confusion, confusion and tension reign, according to observers, among the inhabitants of the island of St. Maarten five days after the passage of the Irma. In the city of Mary, the capital of the French part of Saint-Martin, fragments of torn roofs, numerous garbage, and various household waste are lying on the streets. Many surviving houses, including cottage buildings where tourists live, were flooded. The chaos is being exploited by looters who have rushed into stores to steal refrigerators and televisions.

The situation is aggravated by the fact that Hurricane Jose is moving to replace the destructive Irma in this part of the Caribbean, which has intensified to the fourth category, with wind gusts up to 240 kilometers per hour. And its main blow will fall on the islands of St. Maarten and St. Barthelemy, whose inhabitants have not yet recovered from the shock.

Russian tourists in social networks share scary stories about Hurricane Irma, which raged over the weekend in the popular Cuban resort of Varadero. Roofs were blown off in hotels, people were evacuated to bunkers. At the same time, some Russian tour operators decided not to cancel flights and complete planes took off just before the hurricane. “It was very, very scary during takeoff, the plane was unrealistically shaking and throwing in different directions. After our flight, the airport was closed,” tourists write on social networks.

Hurricane Irma hit Cuba over the weekend. On popular Cuban resorts now there are 1200-1500 Russians, according to the representative of Cuban tourism in Moscow, Edilberto Lyon, reports the Bulletin of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia. Organized tourists from Russia are concentrated in the resorts of Varadero, Cayo Coco and Cayo Santa Maria. Independent tourists are usually located in Havana.

Rostourism reported that nothing threatens the Russians: “According to the Russian Embassy in Cuba, all tourists who were in the country's resorts in the zone of activity of Hurricane Irma have been moved to safe areas. The number of Russians among the evacuees is being specified. According to preliminary data, it is about 200 people. In the event that the hurricane does not change the direction of movement and the weather conditions do not worsen, tourists will return to their hotels in vacation spots in a day, ”the website says.

“Tourists are now in Cuba, Varadero, the situation is catastrophic ... the roof was blown off in the hotel and it is drowning, yesterday everyone was taken away, and they and someone else were left behind. There is no food, water and communications today, no personnel either. Rostourism does not pick up the phone ... tour operator Natalie tours too. There is no communication with tourists today. Does anyone have any contacts for emergency communications in Cuba? hotel inerostar Bella vista. I would be very grateful,” writes travel agent Anzhelika Tolochek in the Profi.Travel group for travel agents on VKontakte.

Some tourists who were caught in a hurricane in Cuba are already posting photos of clear ocean and blue skies today. Others are photographs of hotel devastation, mostly showing fallen trees and branches. But there are those who are not so lucky. So, the user "elena_1612" on Instagram said that their tour operator Anex Tour took out of the hotel almost in the midst of a hurricane and put on a flight.

“While Canada, in connection with the impending hurricane Irma, urgently took out its tourists from Varadero on evacuation flights, and the Germans postponed the next flights to later dates, our #AnexTour tour operator only left a note at the reception in the style of “Well, hang in there.” The note said that the peak of the hurricane would be on September 9, just on the day of our flight to Moscow. (...) CNN has been saying for several hours that the wind is picking up and the blow will hit Varadero at 8 am, that is, just in time for our departure. We still hoped that the flight would be rescheduled, and what a surprise it was that the charter Azur Air from #AnexTour nevertheless flew out of Moscow with 300 tourists. The plane planned to land on Varadero just in time for the start of the hurricane. This despite the fact that flights from other countries were canceled. (…) At 3 am we were supposed to be picked up by the #AnexTour bus to take us to the airport. The wind was getting stronger heavy rain The electricity went out every 5 minutes. The airport in Varadero, meanwhile, was closed, our flight was moved to Havana. …Of course, all flights from Havana airport were canceled, and only our plane was still going to fly to Moscow. (...) And it was also very, very scary during takeoff, the plane was unrealistically shaking and throwing in different directions. The airport was closed after our flight. These are the adventures.” told "elena_1612".

In the comments to the TourDom portal, representatives of the Azur aAir airline Anastasia Matyushina said that there were no complaints from tourists.

“Despite the storm, Saturday flights from Moscow to Cuba and back took place on schedule and there were no reports of any problems from tourists in connection with the hurricane. Our next flight is only on Thursday, I think everything will calm down by this time, ”the airline’s representative quotes the portal.

We add that since September 10, Cuban airports have been closed. Flights were canceled until the evening of 11 September.

As for tourists who are just about to fly into the Hurricane Irma zone, they can refuse tours. But since the Russian authorities have not issued an emergency warning, tour operators will charge fines for canceling tours. Tourists have the right to request a postponement of the travel date or a change of direction. But the final decision will remain with the tour operator, - the ATOR legal service reports.

Yekaterinburg, Moscow, information service of RIA "New Day"

Yekaterinburg, Moscow. Other news 11.09.17

© 2017, RIA "New Day"

The Cuban authorities, together with hoteliers, are making every effort to restore the hotels affected by Hurricane Irma as soon as possible, ATOR reports with reference to the country's Ministry of Tourism.

CAYO COCO AND CAYO SANTA MARIA WILL BE BACK TO ORDER BY MID-NOVEMBER

As the Minister of Tourism of Cuba, Manuel Marrero Cruz, following the results of a personal inspection of problematic objects last weekend, all objects damaged by Irma in the country will be ready and will start working again before the start of the high season.

According to him, today 4600 out of 5000 hotel rooms in the eastern tourist area are already ready to receive tourists, and the rest in this part of the country will definitely be commissioned before the end of September. Tourist areas Cayo Coco and Cayo Santa Maria, where the elements caused the most damage, will be put in order by mid-November.

HOW MANY TOURISTS EVACUATED IN ADVANCE

In an interview with Cuban media, Cuba's First Deputy Minister of Tourism, Alexis Trujillo Moreon, described the unprecedented measures taken to ensure the safety of thousands of tourists. As of September 5, there were almost 46,000 people on the north coast alone when the hurricane began. In total, more than 10 thousand tourists were required to evacuate, of which approximately 5 thousand were transported to Havana and Varadero; the other 5,000 vacationers (these were Canadians) were sent home before the arrival of the Irma.

The hurricane passed quite close to Varadero. At that moment, there were 16.8 thousand tourists and 4.2 thousand employees of the tourism sector at the resort. "No one was hurt, which was due to timely preparation, organization and discipline," said Alexis Trujillo. The hotel fund also managed to avoid serious damage: out of 57 hotels on Varadero, according to the head of the Cuban tourism department, only nine were seriously damaged.

Regarding the hotel sector in Havana, the first deputy minister said that a decision had been made to evacuate all 18 sites located on the north coast of the capital "due to the imminent risk of flooding in coastal areas."

HOW THE RECOVERY GOES

Currently, the tourism sector in the eastern part of Cuba is working without any restrictions: Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba and Granma were not affected. In Holguin, where the hotels suffered very little damage, they quickly returned to normal operation.

In Varadero, restoration work is currently underway here, and most of the hotels are working. As local officials promise, the entire hotel fund will be 100% ready to receive guests by November 15th. Large quantity damage was recorded in hotels on the northern tip of the peninsula: these are fallen trees and torn power lines, partially torn roofs and damaged ceilings, facades, broken windows and doors.

In Havana, as a result of squally winds and flooding, some hotels on the coast also recorded minor damage, which they promise to fix before the end of September. But there are also a number of hotels that have been seriously flooded: it will take longer to reopen them.

Popular Havana hotels such as Arenal, Memories Jibacoa, Cohiba, Aquarium and Commodore are expected to reopen this week. Most of hotel complex Havana is functioning as before: in total, today 60 hotel facilities are available to tourists, as well as 11 thousand rooms in the private sector.

HAVANA, 11 September. /Corr. TASS Andrey Bekrenev/. Continues in the Cuban capital severe flood caused by Hurricane Irma that hit the region.

Havana's Malecon promenade and many streets along coastline. According to meteorologists, waves up to 11 meters high hit the city on Saturday, water penetrated deeper into Havana by more than 500 meters.

In some areas, such as central Vedado, people move waist-deep or even chest-deep in water. Cars, furniture, fragments of the roof are floating along the streets. Some Havanese move around the city in makeshift boats.

“I have lived in Havana all my life, but this is the first time I see this. After heavy rains, we often experience flooding, but there has never been such a flood. In some areas, the first floors of houses are completely flooded,” an elderly resident of Vedado told a TASS correspondent.

The city is de-energized

Most of the city has been de-energized for more than a day. The Chairman of the State Council and the Council of Ministers of Cuba, Raul Castro, ordered that all forces be thrown into the restoration of broken power lines.

The epicenter of the hurricane did not approach the Cuban capital closer than 200 km, but in the city of two million, located on the coast Atlantic Ocean, blew all Saturday squally wind, it was raining heavily.

Many buildings on the embankment were damaged, including hotels and the US Embassy. In many places where the water has already receded, it is impossible to pass by car due to broken trees blocking the road.

In connection with weather conditions international Airport Havana them. Jose Marti will be closed until 12 noon (19:00 Moscow time) on September 11. Aeroflot's Sunday flight from Moscow to Havana and back was cancelled.

Large-scale evacuation

Residents and authorities of the Cuban capital a few days before the approach of "Irma" began to take precautionary measures. Public utilities cleared storm drains, trimmed tree limbs, covered the windows of the buildings on the Malecon with plywood sheets, and reinforced the buildings with sandbags.

About 10 thousand people were evacuated from coastal zones V safe places. Currently, reinforced police squads are on duty on the streets of the city to prevent looting. Not all evacuees have yet been able to return to their homes.

Destruction at the resorts

Irma, which raged in Cuba for two days, caused serious damage tourism infrastructure on famous resort islands Cayo Coco and Cayo Santa Maria located near north coast countries. Apparently, some hotels there will have to be rebuilt almost anew. The airport serving these islands is almost completely destroyed.

All tourists, including Russian ones, were evacuated from the resorts in advance. According to the Russian embassy in Cuba, the Russians were not injured during the passage of the Irma.

It turned out to be flooded and popular resort Varadero, located 140 km east of Havana. However, there is much less destruction and many vacationers have already returned to the beaches.

No casualties, damage counted

Element inflicted island nation serious damage, the amount of which is yet to be calculated. But thanks to the measures that were taken in the country before the arrival of the hurricane, the victims, according to preliminary data, were avoided.

Due to the approach of the Irma, a total of more than a million people were evacuated in Cuba. The civil defense forces have equipped in many settlements special shelters with supplies of water, food and medicine for several days.

According to the authorities, "Irma" caused serious damage to crops in the central part of the country, in particular, plantings of sugar cane, bananas and tobacco.

Before arriving in Cuba, Irma raged for several days in the Caribbean, causing great damage to Puerto Rico, as well as the islands owned by Britain, the Netherlands and France. According to the latest data, at least 24 people died in the Caribbean as a result of the passage of the hurricane.