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Monday 11 SepteMber 2017

Waves from Irma flood Havana coast even as storm moves away

By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ house at the Morro fortress
DESMOND BOYLAN on the entrance to the bay,
Associated Press and Civil Defense Col. Luis
HAVANA (AP) — Powerful Angel Macareno warned
waves and storm surge from that the flooding would
Hurricane Irma topped Ha- persist into Monday.
vana’s iconic Malecon Emergency workers and
seawall and left thousands residents boated and wad-
of homes, businesses and ed through streets littered
hotels swamped Sunday, with all manner of debris:
even as the storm moved toppled trees, downed
away from the island. electrical lines, roofs torn off
There were no immediate by the winds and cement
reports of fatalities in Cuba, water tanks that fell from
where the government atop homes to the ground.
prides itself on disaster pre- Elena Villar and her mother
paredness and said it had spent the night huddling in
carried out evacuations the lobby of a building on
totaling more than 1 million higher ground as her home
people. of 30 years filled with more
Authorities warned that the than 6 feet (2 meters) of
floodwaters could linger for water. “I have lost every-
more than a day, and there thing,” she said, on the
was as-yet uncalculated edge of tears.
damage to sugarcane and People walk through flooded streets in Havana after the passage of Hurricane Irma in Cuba, The waters and winds also
Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017. The powerful storm ripped roofs off houses, collapsed buildings and
banana fields in central flooded hundreds of miles of coastline after cutting a trail of destruction across the Caribbean. damaged the seaside U.S.
Cuba and to northern cays There were no immediate reports of deaths in Cuba, a country that prides itself on its disaster Embassy, tossing around
studded with all-inclusive preparedness, but authorities were trying to restore power and clear roads. shipping containers that sit
resorts, potentially dealing (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) on the compound, smash-
a major blow to the coun- ting a trail of destruction In Havana, home to some penetrating as much as a ing parts of its perimeter
try’s key tourism industry. across the Caribbean. Irma 2 million residents, central half-kilometer (one-third of fence, ripping exterior pan-
The powerful storm ripped has killed at least 24 people neighborhoods along the a mile) inland in places. els from the building and
roofs off homes, collapsed in the region, leaving of- coast between the Alm- Waves as high as 20 feet breaking windows and
buildings and caused ficials scrambling to bring endares River and Havana (6 meters) continued to doors. The embassy’s flag
floods along hundreds of aid to shattered communi- harbor suffered the brunt of pound Havana, with the was in tatters fluttering from
miles of coastline after cut- ties. the flooding, with seawater spray topping the light- its staff Sunday. q
Macron to visit Caribbean as France defends hurricane prep

Continued from Front either sunk or scattered the French government of
In St. Martin on Sunday, au- across its shores, was to re- having “totally insufficient”
thorities were trying to set open Monday morning. A emergency and security
up the first large distribution ship is expected to dock measures in place. Far-left
points for food and water with a 5-ton crane capable leader Jean-Luc Melen-
as the smell of churned-up of unloading large contain- chon and conservative
rotting debris wafted over ers. politician Eric Ciotti called
the island. An increase in police and Sunday for a parliamen-
In the western coastal town soldiers patrolling the streets tary inquiry into the govern-
of Grand-Case, a 76-year- has reduced the amount of ment’s handling of Irma,
old man who only gave his looting. Macron’s first major chal-
first name, Michel, emerged Authorities in St. Martin lenge.
from a grocery store laden have set up some 1,500 The families of some island
with food, explaining that emergency shelters, doc- residents have taken to so-
he had nothing else to eat. tors have treated around cial media to voice similar
“Everything has been Debris and wreckage litter the streets of La Baie residential, after 100 people at a makeshift criticisms.
the passing of Hurricane Irma, in Saint Martin, on Sunday, Sept.
destroyed where I work. 10, 2017. Irma cut a path of devastation across the northern triage area and nearly 250 Macron held emergency
There’s nothing there,” said Caribbean, leaving thousands homeless after destroying people have been evacu- meetings Saturday and
Manon Brunet-Vita, 27, as buildings and uprooting trees. Significant damage was reported ated, including seven fac- Sunday about Irma and its
she walked through Grand- on the island that is split between French and Dutch control. ing medical emergencies, successor, Jose, and Prime
Case. “When I got to this (AP Photo/Amandine Ascensio) officials in Guadeloupe Minister Edouard Philippe
neighborhood, I cried.” and had mobilized military St. Barts, and additional de- said. insisted that the govern-
French government and health care personnel liveries are expected in up- The French military had po- ment’s support for Irma’s
spokesman Christophe in nearby Guadeloupe. coming days, government sitioned two frigates in the victims isn’t “empty words.”
Castaner, speaking Sunday Castaner said many island- officials in Guadeloupe area ahead of the storm “I am aware of the fear,
with Europe1-CNews-Les ers were suffering from said. Crews with heavy with helicopters ready to the exhaustion and the
Echos, said he “perfectly “emotional shock, an im- equipment and chain saws ferry supplies but the sheer anguish that the current
(understood) the anger” pact that’s extremely hard were clearing the roads of violence of Irma seemed to situation is causing families
of island residents. But he psychologically.” debris. take authorities by surprise. in the Antilles and on the
insisted that officials had More than 1,000 tons of St. Martin’s port of Marigot, Far-right National Front par- mainland,” Philippe said.
known of the “extremely water and 85 tons of food which has been too dan- ty leader Marine Le Pen, “We are completely mobi-
high risk” posed by the hur- along with fuel have been gerous to enter due to the who lost the presidency to lized to rescue, to accom-
ricane days in advance shipped to St. Martin and scores of wrecked boats Macron in May, accused pany and to rebuild.”q