Havana, Oct 4 (RHC) The technical director of Cuba's Electrical Union (UNE), Lázaro Guerra, said that the restitution of this service is progressing gradually in the western territories affected by Hurricane Ian.

During his intervention in the radio and television program Mesa Redonda, Guerra informed that 98.72 percent of the inhabitants of Havana already have electricity, and in Artemisa, 66.45 percent coverage has been achieved.

Meanwhile, in Pinar del Río, where the force of Ian's winds destroyed a large part of the distribution network, 10.04 percent of the service was reactivated.

Guerra indicated that after a preliminary survey, damage to conductors, generators, and about 5,000 poles was detected.

He added that after the hydrometeorological event, extra brigades were sent to the most affected territories, and the incorporation of more than 30 contingents to Pinar del Río and Artemisa is expected to continue the recovery.

The technical director of the UNE said that the damages in the western region are the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, while in Matanzas and the rest of the country there is still a generation deficit to cover the demand, a situation that existed before the passage of the meteor through the Caribbean island.

The specialist recalled that after Ian, the National Electric System collapsed, a situation that took 48 hours and 30 minutes to be reestablished nationwide.

On September 27, Pinar del Río was directly hit by hurricane Ian, which crossed its territory from the south for six hours, with category three on the Saffir-Simpson scale (out of a maximum of five) and sustained winds of over 200 kilometers per hour. (Source: PL)