Babalu Blog

There's no communication with certain neighbourhoods in Havana, just imagine the rest of the country. As Val says, their facing two tyrannies tonight: one is the brutal force of nature, the other one is the brutal force of state sponsored terror. I'd choose the first one of the two evils.
They are in my prayers, specially those in the most dilapidated aras who are going to suffer more. Wait till the water and the wind subdue, when the temperature rises and the materials start settling, I predict many old buildings are going to crumble under the increased weight of the wet materials and the contractions-dilatation of their materials and elements.

Update: Just got off of Yahoo Meesenger with a friend in Havana and my cousin in Matanza,so far Matanza seems to be getting a great deal of the storm,may homes without phone or electricity, I think my cousins phone line was knocked out as he got offline in the middle of a coversation,but he is fine as I got word from my friend in Havana who called him for me.

Many are being evacuated from Matanza as fast as they can,some trees down and some flying debris,no one hurt as of yet (Thank God)

I may soon have photos of what's going on during the storm, if not I will have deffinate photos after the storm has passed, if and when I get them I will forward them to Val to post if he wishes.

Two tyrants indeed, but one will be gone tomorrow.
Havana still has electricity, Cienfuegos seems to have been battered quite badly.

The tyrant that stays will blame it all on the tyrant that left.

More News: Apparently vacationers in Varadero have not all been evacuated,some have,many havent,rumor has it the government hasnt enough transport to get everyone (foreign & citizens)out of harms way,also it is said many Cubans protested as a vacationer filled bus passed them half empty as it passed Varadero's toll plaza.

Also,although Matanza isnt feeling the FULL effect (yet) it is expected they will tonight,but it was just reported to me the winds are strong and gaining stregnth within the area,strong enough to blow roofs off of houses,apparently some homes are roofless right now.

I don't think they have to evacuate many vacationers in Varadero. They just take them to the safe hotels

Reports are that the locals are furious because foreigners are being moved to safely in buses while they have to make do for themselfs. Wow-- What a horrible situation.

You know as I sit here talking to friends online from Cuba keeping up to date of what's going on,one friend was asking me about what kind of supplies one goes for first here on the shelves.

I cant think of anything else that Cubans grab first off the shelves if isnt Vienna Sausages!

My Mother will push you out of the way to grab those little cans filled with wannabe hot dogs,"war on aisle 5"....lol

Dont know about your family and what they grab first,but in my house,Las Charchichas are top priority.

My Mother is so hell bent of grabbing them and making sure we all have them,that last year during the hurricane season she literally (BS you not)showed up to all my brothers and sisters house (and mine) with 4 cases for each of us,mind you we are 5 brothers and sisters,my mother bought 20 cases of Vienna Sausages!

I was swallowing those damn things for months,from arroz con charchichas to right out of the can to coming up with my own recipes of using them.

My God,if I have to see another Vienna Sausage again,I am jumping off the Miami Herald Bridge!

I made sure to call her today and made it a point,to NOT buy me anymore of those damn things,because one thing Cuban Mothers have,they do not care if you tell them to not get you anything and to stay home safely,is that they will ignore all your wishes no matter how grown up you are,and will do the opposite, and show up with bags full of stuff, so instead of telling her not to bring me a damn thing,just told her to bring me tuna & chef boy'ardee instead of Vienna Sausages,wish I could stop her from doing anything at all for me as I dont need anything, but that aint gonna happen!

By the way,I told this to my friend in Cuba and he can confirm that is the exact same thing that Cubans go for in Cuba,but like he said,IF you can find them :(

I came to a conclusion at that point,besides possibly having pork traits found in Cuban blood,think we also have some Vienna Sausage DNA in our blood! lol

Report in from Santa Clara,a friend in Santa Clara (Sixto) has sent me an email response to an email I sent him with questions.

Basically says they are feeling the winds with tons of rain falling,only thing he could see from his window is what appears to be (not 100% sure yet)is a down powerline that was flaring up and sparking.

I emailed him back with other questions and no response as of yet,could be the power is out at this point.

Still able to be in contact with friends in Havana,Manzanillo (who didnt get hit but did feel it with heavy wind & rain)and Pinar Del Rio,but in Pinar Del Rio lights are going on and off constantly.

Jovellanos got hit badly, Playa Larga may be completely devastated, Varadero will probably be spared, Dennis will hit Playas del Este directly.

I'm still in contact with Havana

Elegua any news on Matanza,lost all communications with my cousin there,will appreciate any news.

Any word from the interior of Matanza? or Versailles area?

No news from Matanzas but I'll check... Jaguey Grande must be hit very badly

Matanzas (city) will probably get the core of the storm. Dennis has "wobbled" a bit to the west in the last 2 hours, which means La Habana has a better chance of getting the worst part of the hurricane.

Right now Dennis seems to follow the Autopista Nacional

That's exactly right Eleggua.

Our prayers and thoughts are with those in Cuba tonight. Madre mia Yemaya calma los mares y los vientos.

My contact in Havana says they are bracing for a direct hit now. He says electricity is off in most of Havana. Very heavy rain, evacuations along the Malecón and upper floors of Vedado buildings, including Focsa, Melia Cohiba, Riviera and Capri hotels.

Things have gone very hectic in the last 2 hours, people were only given 10 minutes to pack.

From Matanza via Habana cell phone contact,cell phones seem to still be operational.

Matanza-Marina Area
My cousin has called my Havana friend and has told him of collapsed homes,some speculate residents of the homes were still weathering the storm inside their homes as their homes came crumbling down, as of right now they do not know if any loss of life has occured or if anyonbe was still inside these homes. (I pray not)

Also, not 100% confirmed,it seems some young Cubans may be involved in loitering government stores in the Plaza area of Matanza.

It is also said someone has committed suicide by plunging into the water off of the Calixto Garcia bridge in Matanza. (I hope not)

Got the same report Eleggua.

Was just told earlier Cuban workers had been trying to board up Hemingway's house but were told to stop all work and head for shelter,guess Old Ernest's house may end up "The Old House IN The Sea".

Extensive damages in Cienfuegos.

My contacts in Playa and Miramar are now offline,not sure if power has gone out or not,but they have yet to get back online.

TV cannot be seen in some of the neighborhoods of Havana, not even where there's still electricity and generators....

Matanza- boats have been capsized including a Cuban Coast Guard Cutter,a pier was also destroyed (dont know which one)

Eleggua,where exactly is Playa Larga?

Been to Cuba but dont know exactly every areas name,I have an aunt who lives in an area they call Playa in Matanza,is this the same area?

No Playa Larga is on the south coast, not far from Playa Girón.

Hope Dennis swept away the "museum"

Well I just stomached fidel on mesa redonda via shortwave. His stooges gave a province and city update( it was disgusting as they started every sentence with "comandante general"). It ranges from 10% to 90% outages and if they are admitting that then its got to be bad. fidel really sounded bad as he kept misquoting dates of the last big storm in 1932 (he said 1926 then 1933) then he asked questions of people who had just made a lengthy statement about what he just asked about. They said that phone, power, and water are out. They made mention of loss of life. One in particular will probably be the rule than the exception as her roof collapsed when a tree fell on it. I'm sure that they were heading for cover as the show ended just a few minutes ago. I need to know if anyone has updates on Cienfuegos and Trinidad. Also if you hear of anything in Placetas,Santa Clara, or Jaguajay. I'll update as I am listening to Radio Habana Cuba via shortwave. If anyone's interested I pick it up on 11.77 MHZ.

Thanks! Was a bit worried for a sec!

So that would be near or in Cienfuegos,no?

I forgot to report this.

Was told the sewers in Matanza are backed up and a possible main water line may have been busted.

Here in South Miami/Pinecrest/Dadeland area lights keep flickering on and off once in a while,looking outside skies are black with a nice gust of wind blowing.

We just got out of the Keys today. :)
But look at this excerpt from today's 10am entry on Weather Underground: "Lack of fresh water and electricity will be serious problems, and Cuba's political stability could well be threatened by the scope of what is likely to be its greatest disaster in modern history."
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/show.html

One tyrant could end up blowing away the other!!

FL MOM....Ojala que el viento se lleve a fidel. HP!

Center of Dennis is near Guines in Habana province. Looks more and more like Habana cuidad is going to hit by the core.

I just got back home. This sounds like a complete disater, I am praying for the people of Cuba.

No electricity in Havana yet.
Phone is back in some places, very spotty.
People are starting to come out to evaluate the damage. There were forced evacuations in certain areas of Old Havana, but I already know from people who manage to hid. I will be calling shortly my man in Old Havana shortly....

I am typing when I am talking to my source.
There was a forcible evacuation plan implemented yesterday in Old Havana. Military cars with loudspeakers were used to order people to get out of their houses -many hid- and to board buses and trucks to take them to safety. My source's opinon (and so is mine) is that it was done not for safety, but to control the masses and not to show to tourists and journalists the bleak conditions under which Cubans live. Also, this move automatically puts all the "evacuees" under surveillance and isolation.
My source briefly wandered out last nigth and this morning. Last night it was blight, with wind and rain, and no electricity. In my source's opinion the worse is to come today when the sun starts shining again and the buildings start to settle, there's when the danger of collapse is worse. There were rumors of some building collapses but he doesn't have any confirmation or image. He also thinks that people will start returning today, since the storm exited Cuba by the eastern beaches of Havana, leaving a trail of destruction in the coastal towns.
Now, in a personal slant, the great tradition of the Hurricane Party is alive. Many people had them, they got together and partied a bit during the hurricane hours. And you know who the mocked. The Devil himself misrecogizing the hurricane as an evilish force on national radio and tv. Hey, they said, the evilish force have been here for the last 46 years, this is actually a break from it!

Now the Bearded One has something to blame for the power outages other than himself. Do you think anyone will believe him? Sounds like he is losing it. One can only hope.

Is there any news from granma - Niquero???
I know there was some deaths and over 9 thousand homeless. Any more news????

Wow - this is really riveting. Thanks so much for your updates, Yuca. You bring this storm alive for us and help us empathize. It's so different from castro's crap on the radio, saying all is fine. Very worrisome to learn of the rotting housing stock all through the island, and the plight of the nontourists, and the hit Matanzas is taking. I think Matanzas may be one of the cities, besides Cienfuegos, where castro is building his oil refineries.

I was on the phone with my dear friend KillCastro till just now... We were commenting how "telling" it is that cagastro is not issuing his usual "communiques" to tell Cubans and the world how great he is in facing the Nature forces.
Give me one minute to call my buddy in Old Havana again and he will tell me what this business is all about!

No electricity... My friend has the old cell phone of his boss, and will have it till the end of the month when it will be cut off (his boss company was shut down, so now he is unemployed, his boss could take his Cuban family to Spain, the guy was born in Cuba, went as a child to Spain in the forties and back to Cuba a few years ago to develop a business, he became disenchanted when he knew what Cubans suffer on a daily basis)
He is telling me that it's raining and that there are so many rumors about buildings that have collapsed but he hasn't gone out since he didn't show up for evacuation....
So, rain, wind, no official anything, and no phone or electricity.
Val!
He says hello!!!!!
I told him that I was writing here and he was really happy!!!!

Hace una semana julio 1, hablé con mi hermano en Camaguey, por él me enteré de cosas muy interesantes que muchos no saben fuera de Cuba:
1- Las famosas arroceras (para cocinar el arroz) nunca han llegado a Camaguey, tampoco las cocinas electricas u ornillas elecricas. La ciudad de Camaguey usa todabia en sus instalaciónes electricas el alambre No. 14 que se usó antes del 1959, por lo tanto si llegaran las ollas elecricas no se podrian usar ya que la mayoria de las casas no estan preparadas eleticamente hablando para usar una ornilla elecrica y una olla tambien electrica, y si todas las casas usaran ambas cosas al mismo tiempo. Las plantas actuales no podrian generar la electricidad suficientes para el consumo añadiendole ademasen algunos casos algun otro efecto elecrico como el televisor o refrigerador Si ahora sin usar nada de eso hay grandes apagones, ¿como sería si pudieramos usar "tamaños adelantos cientificos?"

Ivan,
Great punto. Not only is the wire gauge unsuitable, but Cuba probably only has 110v running to those homes and they would have to run another leg to make it work. Also they would have to update their fuseboxes. So the bearded one will have to overhaul their electrical system to get those new toys to work. 14g would work for the rice cookers though. They just better make sure that they cook in the dark.

did dennis kill the beard? that's all i want to know.

Just a comment:
Got an email from "Raices" asking for donations (clothes, meds) to send to Cuba after the hurricane...not to sound harsh and uncaring for the Cuban people; but my cousin in Sti Spiritus just told me that all the donation of clothes that are send to Cuba by the Red Cross or any other humanitarian organizations,are not distributed or given to the people in Cuba, instead, they are sold once a month in special places called "Shopi-Trapo" HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT???

"Derrotado el huracán mercenario"
(Granma)

Propaganda can't get anymore stupid than that.
Btw did Dennis turn around at Playa Girón? Did I miss something?

How must it feel when you are clearing the rubble that once was your house and you need to listen to this BS?

I spoke with my man in Havana last night. He reported that the area south of Las Tunas was destroyed. Power was supposed to come back on in Playa at midnight. Wonder if it did. At least I could get through by phone. It was 9pm there, and the phones had come back an hour earlier.

Does anyone have any news on Jaguey Grande and Agramonte? I have a Cuban friend living in Florida and he tells me that there was some very major damage in that area... any info you have would be appreciated.

hay que caerle arriba al huracan lazo que esta infiltrado aqui agitando al pueblo de miami. y dice ser incondicional a los americanos .. mentiroso.

How badly hit was varadero? Any loss of life? Any hotels damaged? What are the current conditions?

me gustaria que los que saben el idioma espanol escribieran en espanol para poder entenderlos y apreciar sus comentarios gracias

what is the current situation in varadero and la havanna currently ?
are hotels destroyed ?

yes i'd like to know what the current situation in caradero is, and how long do you guys think the phones will be out in Havana for?

From what I've been told La Habana stood strong against Dennis and is just fine with expected damages as trees and powerlines downed,some roof tops blown from already decaying houses and buildings.

Varadero- is fine,high waves & winds made it for an uncomfortable vacation for tourists,but nothing serious to report besides the norm of trees and powerlines being downed.

Fish found on the streets of La Habana that were quickly gathered by locals.

My 5 y.o. son is in Varadero with his mother since thursday, i worry about them, did not have news from them yet !! If somebody get news of what's going on there please tell me !

I'm not really familiar with this kind of thing in cuba, how long do you expect the phone lines to be out for in Havana??

Nuestro fraternal saludo a todos nuestros hermanos Cubanos. Escribo desde San Sebastian, Puerto Rico. Nos dio mucha tristeza ver como Dennis azoto a Cuba y destruyo muchos hogares. Sabemos que el pueblo Cubano es muy valiente y dinamico. Ellos superaran esta crisis.
I send a fraternal greeting from San Sebastian, Puerto Rico. We were shocked and saddened by the heavy damage inflicted by Dennis on many homes. We all know how courageous, and dynamic the Cuban people are, they will always triumph over adversity.

THE SUFFERING INCREASES
As if the Cuban people have not suffered endough under a maniacal tyrant, now nature visits another burden upon them. How will the hapless government in Havana react to this emergency? It is my opinion that Jack Nicholson's resident genius has made no plans or preparations for it at all.

Let us hope that the people themselves are able to cope in some way with it, and that perhaps nature may soon help them in another way. However, I fear that the eventual passing of fidelito will not be an automatic passage into a democracy in Cuba, that his current will take immediate steps to secure their retention in power. I pray that I am wrong. We'll see.

I am visiting valerado next week on monday is it safe to go. I will be ariving on monday 18th july 2005.
Will the rain be continuing to flood the country also.

I an visiting cuba valerado on monday of next week 18th july. I am a female traveling on my own from the UK. Is it safe to continue my vacation to cuba and will the weather hurricane be over when i arrive.
Look farward to hearing from someone, and i do hope the cubian people are safe from any debri left over form the aftermath.
take real care for now, and kind regaurds
Sarah xx

looking for natalie surridge and darren munday last known to be in valerado just as storm hit.please can anyone help.

electricity is out in havana i think, at least the part where my girlfriend is at. i wonder how long it will be...