Americans account of Hurricane Sandy in Cuba
Hurricane Sandy in Cuba
As I write this column, after arriving home this weekend and, after yet another overwhelming storm on our east coast, despite planning for the worst, my family and I have emerged unscathed while thousands of homes in Cuba are still without power and water following the wrath of Hurricane Sandy in Cuba.
Although I was lucky and missed the eye of the storm, I got a good taste of Hurricane Sandy in Cuba as I was in Varadero last week.
On our drive back from Havana in our tiny Cuban Rent A Car Thursday, the storm was brewing. The ocean was irritated, transferring tides of seawater across the roads and flooding the streets. Locals marooned in the rain fruitlessly huddled under umbrellas as family pets ran toward the comfort of home.
Returning to the Tryp Peninsula resort, the maids worked untiringly to sweep out water that had snuck its way into the lobby as they loathed in Spanish over Hurricane Sandy in Cuba
The hallways were soaked and the power went off and on throughout the night. It was probably the only evening vacationers weren’t sampling the country’s rum and cigars in the disco.
Instead, we were stuck up in our hotel rooms, hoping and praying that nothing would break and fly through the windows. I had premeditated to lock myself in the bathroom until the vicious storm was over.
Fortunately I didn’t resort to that, but my Cuban girlfriend and her parents had to put her survivor skills to the test. She had hopped off her bed and slipped, with a rude realization that her floor was soaked. Water had seeped into her third-floor room from the outside and her windows were shaking uncontrollably. After pushing her belongings into the bathroom and closet, and a few slips and falls in the pitch-dark hallways, she made her way to the safety of my room.
“Hurricane Sandy in Cuba devastation”
Sadly, not everyone made it home in Cuba; 16 people died across the island. Roofs caved in, roads were destroyed and livestock was lost. In Santiago, mass was held in the street after churches were wiped out. Our tour guide on the return trip to Havana´s Jose Marti Airport said one of the company’s employees had gone fishing for red snapper after the hurricane since they’re abundant after such storms. He’s been missing since. He also updated passengers on our bus about other Hotels Hurricane Sandy in Cuba such as the Meliá Santiago de Cuba, Versailles, Casa Granda, Villa Colibri, Sierra Mar and Rancho Club with fallen ceiling structures, damaged false ceilings, sheds, awnings, landscaping, electrical and fresh water networks, glassware, solar heaters and beaches severely eroded. He also said that Hotel Bucanero was completely destroyed…
It got me thinking how lucky I am to live in Maryland, where such storms usually dissipate before reaching us.
In New York, the colleges and universities were closed and Wall Street remained closed for the second consecutive day. Our east coast is water logged and badly beaten but, as usual, FOX news is back to the elections as if nothing happened.
I bet the people of Cuba are still reeling in the wake of the disaster though
