Light out in Cuba, Florida as Hurricane Ian rages

About 2.5 million people have been ordered to evacuate their homes to be sheltered in safer locations as a result of the hurricane in the United States. While over 11 million people have been left without electric power in Cuba.

Hurricane Ian passed through the western part of Cuba, Tuesday causing massive destruction. The storm caused a total blackout across the island nation and authorities are still working to restore power.

According to tracking service Poweroutage.us, almost 2.4 million people in Florida have lost electricity as Hurricane Ian moved through the state overnight as a Category 4 storm.

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With power cut off in so many areas of the state, emergency responders have been forced to wait until the morning to start rescue operations. Electricity outages and communications problems mean the extent of the damage caused by the hurricane is still unknown.

Florida Power & Light, the largest electric service company in the state, wrote on Twitter that the destruction caused by Hurricane Ian will force the company to rebuild part of its system.

Hurricane Ian’s catastrophic winds will mean parts of our system will need to be rebuilt – not restored. Be prepared for widespread, extended outages as we are assessing the damage. We are already at work restoring power where we can do so safely. pic.twitter.com/zvnvi5JX49

— Florida Power & Light (@insideFPL) September 29, 2022

“Hurricane Ian’s catastrophic winds will mean parts of our system will need to be rebuilt — not restored. Be prepared for widespread, extended outages as we are assessing the damage. We are already at work restoring power where we can do so safely,” the company wrote on Twitter.