Havana, October 23 (RHC-Xinhua)-- The Cuban government has granted over 4,700 bank loans, totaling about 13.2 million U.S. dollars for families affected by Hurricane Irma, which hit the country last month, an official source said over the weekend.

Irma Martinez, first vice-president of the Central Bank of Cuba, stated that approving the loans in 24 hours to provide rapid relief had been challenging, but had "confirmed the rigor and professionalism of banking staff in the country."

"We did it with the human sensibility that a moment like this demands. We have exceeded all expectations, because there were people affected by the storm, even among our own staff," she explained.

To date, Cuban authorities have allowed those affected by Irma to apply for loans starting at 300 pesos, with an interest rate of 2.5 percent and a repayment term of up to 15 years.

Hurricane Irma, considered the worst to hit Cuba since 1932, slammed most of Cuba's northern coastline during 72 hours, claiming 10 lives, causing major damage to infrastructure, knocking out the national power grid, and causing over 2 million people to be evacuated.