The Provincial Transport Company of Havana announced the suspension of public passenger transport in the province starting on the night of Tuesday, November 5, due to the approaching Hurricane Rafael.
“The Provincial Defense Council has decided to suspend public passenger transport services starting at 9:00 PM today, Tuesday, November 5, until normal operations can be restored,” states a note published by the state entity.
The Provincial Transport Company cited “the imminent arrival of Hurricane Rafael, which will directly impact the western region, particularly Havana,” as the reason.
Since nine o’clock on Tuesday night, it was only possible to see buses traveling along the return routes to the terminals.
The official information added that passenger maritime transportation in Havana Bay remains suspended, as previously announced.
“The company’s executives remain in communication with the Provincial Defense Council and the Ministry of Transport. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our passengers,” the statement concludes.
Hurricane Rafael continues its progression to the northwest and is expected to reach intensity close to that of a “major hurricane” – that is, Category 3 – as it approaches the western region of Cuba.
According to the latest bulletin from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), at 4:00 a.m. it was located about 190 km southeast of the Isle of Youth and 310 km south-southeast of Havana.
The hurricane has maximum sustained winds of 150 km/h (90 mph) and is moving northwest at a speed of 22 km/h (14 mph).
Rafael is expected to continue in this direction throughout today, followed by a turn toward the west-northwest in the Gulf of Mexico.
Rafael could rapidly strengthen and approach the category of a major hurricane before making landfall in western Cuba today. While crossing Cuba, it may weaken slightly, but it is expected to regain strength in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico.
Pinar del Río, Artemisa, Havana, Mayabeque, Matanzas, and the Isle of Youth are under hurricane alert.
Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spíritus, and Ciego de Ávila are under a tropical storm warning.
There is also a “tropical storm alert” in effect for Camagüey and Las Tunas.
Currently, hurricane-force winds extend up to 30 km from the center of the system, while tropical storm-force winds reach as far as 165 km, impacting a considerable area.
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