Havana hit with flooding from Hurricane Irma

Hurricane Irma uprootedtrees and tore off roofs in Cuba on Saturday with200 km/h winds that damaged hotels in the island's best-known beach resorts and forced evacuations asfar along the coast as low-lying areas of the capital, Havana.

Power was out and cellphone service was spotty in manyregions as Irma neared the end of a 320-kilometre trek westwardalong the top of the island. It was heading north toward Florida in the evening.

In the fishing town of Caibarien, residents swept mud frombeachside homes after storm surge drove one metreof seawater up the shore. In streets carpeted with fresh greenseaweed as the water receded, people said it was the strongestcyclone ever to hit the town.

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"Sheets of zinc that came flying into our backyard alsodamaged the kitchen wall and we lost many roof tiles," said Angel Coya, 52, adding he was optimistic that Cuba's Communistgovernment would help repair the damage. "We have to keep on."

Irma's turn northward was expected to occur around240 kilometres east of the capital. Nevertheless, authorities shut off power in large parts of the city and evacuated some 10,000people from central Havana near the Malecon seawall because offears of flooding from the storm surge.

By Saturday evening, the sea had penetrated two blocks overparts of the city's historic seafront boulevard, and the waterswere expected to advance farther as the surge grew. Restaurantson the seaside drive pulled down their shutters and stackedsandbags against the storm.

Authorities were trying to restore power, clear roads and warning that people should stay off the streets of Havana because flooding could continue into Monday.

Residents of "the capital should know that the flooding is going to last more than 36 hours, in other words, it is going to persist," Civil Defence Col. Luis Angel Macareno said late Saturday, adding that the waters had reach at about 600 metresinto parts of Havana.

Still, many Cubans expressed a sense of relief after the eyeof the first Category 5 storm to make landfall on the island since 1932 passed over the northern keys, just grazing themainland with its full force.

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"Honestly, I expected worse. I thought I would come back andfind the roof gone," said Yolexis Domingo, 39, using a macheteto hack the branches off a tree that fell in front of his house in Caibarien. "Still, it is going to be a while before I cancome back to live here. The water came up to a metre high andsome of the roof flew off."

Keys pummelled

Overnight, the storm pounded the chain of pristine keys andtourism resorts that stretch along the coast from central
Camaguey province to Villa Clara province, and it was headedtoward Varadero, Cuba's most famous beach getaway.

Cayos Coco and Guillermo, the crown jewels of what is knownas the King's Gardens, with 16 hotels frequented by Canadian andEuropean tourists, sustained serious damage, local authoritiesin the area said.

At least one bridge on a causeway to the area collapsed, andthe communications tower for the keys was no longer standing.

Dozens of coastal towns were damaged, with some reports ofcollapsed houses, though no deaths had been reported.

"This is a beautiful town but now it is a disaster," saidlocal resident Sandro Sanchez, 27, walking through the main square after the hurricane had passed Remedios, in Villa Clara.

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Corrugated iron from roofs was strewn in the streetsalongside rubble. Lampposts were bent double, plant pots smashed and the fronds of palm trees shredded.

"You can't do anything against nature," he said. "We neverhad a storm wreak so much damage here. This is really a mess."

On Saturday, Irma covered most of the island, theCaribbean's largest. Its force sent shockwaves and floodinginward.

The wind roared all night and it is still strong. Icouldn't sleep.- Anaida Morales ofCamaguey, Cuba

In the city of Camaguey, Anaida Morales said she just beenthrough a night from hell with her mom, stepson and husband.

"The trees in the park in front of my house are down andothers strewn all over the streets. Lots of roofs are gone and some houses collapsed. The river that runs through the city isabout to flood," she said.

"The wind roared all night and it is still strong. Icouldn't sleep. I'm scared of hurricanes, and this is the worst Ihave been through," she said.

Morales said she made a phone call to her daughter, whoshares her name, in Florida, where millions of people were preparing for Irma's arrival.

"I just spoke to Anaida," she said. "It is hard to believe she isgetting ready to go through the same thing I just did."