Monday, 11/09/2017 21:59 (GMT+7)
Hurricane Irma made landfall in northern Cuba on September 9th, causing flooding in low-lying areas of the capital Havana.
Flooding in Havana on September 9th (Source: AFP)
Irma was the first Category 5 hurricane to hit Camaguey in 85 years, according to the province's state media radio station.
Hurricane-force winds of over 200 kph whipped roofs clean off buildings, ripped trees from the ground and forced evacuations along the coast.
In a statement, Cuba's Civil Defence said it has decided to place under hurricane warning the provinces of Sancti Spiritus, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Mayabeque, Artemisa and Havana.
Over 700,00 Cubans had been evacuated from coastal areas to inland and protected houses, to diminish the damage that could be caused by the storm's winds.
The last hurricane to hit this Caribbean nation was Matthew in October 2016, when it destroyed over 9,000 houses and properties but claimed no lives in the easternmost province of Guantanamo.
Irma, one of the fiercest Atlantic storms in a century, was expected to hit Florida on September 9th, bringing massive damage from wind and flooding to the US' fourth-largest state by population./.
Compiled by BTA