There's currently a lot on the news about the expected damage that Sandy, now downgraded to a 'Storm', is expected to cause along the eastern seaboard of the USA but as Hurricane Sandy it has already ripped through the Caribbean and caused a great deal of damage in the eastern provinces of Cuba. Lovers of Cuba on here might want to check out the following:

http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=81060

Santiago, where I usually spend most of my time in Cuba and which I will be visiting again in March has been particularly badly hit. There have been 11 deaths this year which is very high for Cuba because their evacuation procedures usually mean that they have very few casualties compared to other islands. Photos posted here will give you an idea of the devestation

http://www.facebook.com/#!/ColegioDeDoloresSantiagoDeCuba

Those who have visited Santiago de Cuba will recognise many of the locations in the photos and realise that the majority of the trees in Parque Cespedes have gone along with most of those in Plaza Marti. Large numbers of houses have been very badly damaged and people have lost a great deal of what little they had. The roof of the Cathedral has been damaged but thankfully the main structure is still largely intact. Sad times for friends and people I know there, all of whom are safe to the best of my knowledge, but who are now trying to deal with repairing damage to their homes whilst coping with major problems with the electricity and water supplies.

I was in Santiago and Havana in 2005 during the 'window' between Hurricanes Dennis and Emily tracking through the island. Whilst neither Havana nor Santiago where directly in the track of either hurricane the damage and disruption was still immense but this time Sandy passed over Santiago and clearly has wreaked havoc in the area as well in much of Holguin province.

SM