Havana, October 5 (RHC)-- Cuba Civil Defense, government and local authorities in eastern Cuba are assessing the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew, which left Cuba in the early morning hours on Wednesday, October 5th.

According to preliminary reports, damage is mainly to residential and public building infrastructure, many fallen trees, electricity posts and telephone lines, with the municipalities of Maisí, Baracoa and Imías in eastern Guantánamo province, the most affected by the Category-4 hurricane, which has now been downgraded to Category 3.  Access by land to some municipalities was cut off due to either landslides or rising sea levels.

No loss of human life has been reported thus far here in Cuba, a country acknowledged internationally for the efficiency of its hurricane early-warning system and the established contingency plans both at local and national levels.