Hurricane Ian tore into Eastern Cuba on Tuesday. Officials set up 55 shelters and evacuated 50,000 people. They also took charge in trying their best to preserve crops in Cuba’s main  tobacco growing region. Power has been restored in Cuba. Officials earlier said that power had collapsed after the hurricane hit. Ian is now a category four hurricane. It has winds up to 250km/h headed toward Florida. Two people were reported dead in Cuba from the hurricane. Buildings were also damaged nationwide. On Cuban state television, the head of the electrical energy authority announced an island-wide blackout as a result of the electrical system going down. This left 11 million people in the dark. The blackout also means that the water was unavailable in many areas. This leaves residents unable to bathe or drink. Food was also spoiling without the proper refrigerators and freezers. 

Authorities gradually began restoring service in eastern regions. They warn the process will be more complicated further west. The storm ruined Pinar Del Rio which is a home to a lot of the tobacco used in cigars. “It was apocalyptic, a real disaster,” wrote Hirochi Robaina. The white house has made its own emergency declaration, which will help federal and state officials coordinate disaster relief and assistance.