October 15, 2010 3:38 AM. Paula's Remnants Sneak Up on Cuba. Havana's Capitol building is seen under the rain of tropical storm Paula in the municipality of Bahia Honda, about 50 miles west of Havana, Pinar del Rio province, Cuba, Oct. 14, 2010. Although winds and rain whipped Havana for only about two hours late Thursday afternoon, much of the Cuban capital was left without electricity or cooking gas.">October 15, 2010 3:38 AM. Paula's Remnants Sneak Up on Cuba. Havana's Capitol building is seen under the rain of tropical storm Paula in the municipality of Bahia Honda, about 50 miles west of Havana, Pinar del Rio province, Cuba, Oct. 14, 2010. Although winds and rain whipped Havana for only about two hours late Thursday afternoon, much of the Cuban capital was left without electricity or cooking gas.">

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CBS: Paula's Remnants Sneak Up on Cuba

  • Submitted by: manso
  • 10 / 16 / 2010

October 15, 2010 3:38 AM. Paula's Remnants Sneak Up on Cuba

Havana's Capitol building is seen under the rain of tropical storm Paula in the municipality of Bahia Honda, about 50 miles west of Havana, Pinar del Rio province, Cuba, Oct. 14, 2010.

Although winds and rain whipped Havana for only about two hours late Thursday afternoon, much of the Cuban capital was left without electricity or cooking gas.

Tropical Storm Paula wasn't forecast to reach Havana until Friday, and then as a tropical depression, so the suddenness of the storm and the force of the rain and wind took people by surprise.

Some trees were toppled around the capital city, bringing electricity lines with them. Many streets in the capital were flooded.

CBS News Storm Tracker 2010

The winds were forceful enough to rip one massive tree in Havana's Playa neighborhood up by the roots, crumbling the sidewalk as it pulled out and then crashing on top of a parked car. By midnight, there was no sign of emergency repair brigades working in the area. Streets throughout the capital were littered with leaves and broken branches.

A restaurant in Havana's famed Miramar neighborhood was packed with about 80 customers until at least 11 p.m., thanks to its generator keeping the lights on and the kitchen open. Most of the patrons said they were there because of the power outages on the blocks where they live.

The weather institute warned Havana residents that it may rain through the night, but the downpour had let up as Paula's remnants hovered over the Varadero Beach resort east of the capital.

Cuban radio reported some crop damage in western Pinar del Rio province, but little damage to property and no injuries or deaths from the storm. Official sources say 120 people were evacuated from their homes in the extreme western portion of the island.

This story was filed by CBS News producer Portia Siegelbaum in Havana.

Posted by Portia Siegelbaum

Source: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/message/118518

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