8 Million Cubans Affected by Hurricane Dennis
More than 8 million Cubans have been affected by Hurricane Dennis, that hit hard 9 of the island´s 14 provinces, where recovery work have intensely begun, the National Civil Defense reported Saturday night.

Most of the damage by the category four hurricane with winds of 145 mph (216 km/h) and large rainfall accumulations was done on housing, farming and agro-industrial facilities and power lines.

Lt. Col. Luis Angel Macareño, second chief of the National Civil Defense, said that except the provinces of Guantanamo, Pinar del Río, Holguín, Las Tunas and the special municipality of the Isle of Youth, the rest of the provinces were affected, seven of them reporting severe damages.

At a special live TV broadcast Saturday night, Lt. Col. Macareño praised the organization and discipline the population showed in the face of the fierce storm. "That particularly helped prevent larger damages and basically avoid a high number of human losses," he said.

Despite the intensity of the hurricane and the material destruction it caused, only 10 people died, 8 in Granma and 2 in Santiago, eastern Cuba.

Exceptional measures were urgently taken to safeguard the population and secure food products, livestock and farming facilities.

Lt. Col. Macareño said over one and half million people were evacuated to safe places, of them more than 280,000 just in Havana city. There are still one million people still evacuated as Civil Defense experts check on their houses so they can safely go back home.

More than 400,000 farm animals were also taken to protected areas while many farming facilities were dismantled to protect them from the strong winds, but many other lost their roofs or suffered other type of damage.

Lt. Col. Macareño stressed that intense recovery work is already underway, basically electrical crews working hard to restore power. Work is also done in safeguarding food products, cleaning roads from fallen trees and other debris.

Damage in housing is currently being assessed to start restoration work, he said.

Seven provinces (Havana, Matanzas, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spiritus, Ciego de Avila and Camaguey) are without electricity, as well as regions of Granma and Santiago.

The fierce winds tumbled seven radio towers and four TV transmitors in those provinces.

Victor Fuentes, Director of the Union Electrica (Electric Company), reported that the hurricane severed the country´s power network as 29 high tension towers were destroyed in central Cuba (Villa Clara and Cienfuegos basically).

Havana has no electricity, no cooking gas and no running water. Local authorities assured that ardorous work is being done to restore those services shortly.

Four big power plants were shut down following precautionary measure to keep them from suffering damage and they will be put back to work in a day or so, Engineer Fuentes said.

Lt. Col. Macareño indicated that the only benefit Dennis left on the drought-striken island was the high rainfall accumulation in most provinces where decaying reservoirs were able to recover significantly their water levels.