Hurricane Irma caused flooding in Cuba. Severe flooding continues in the harbor caused by Hurricane Irma

MOSCOW. SEPTEMBER 15TH. INTERFAX-TOURISM - Tourists in Cuba had to be relocated from hotels affected by Hurricane Irma, the infrastructure of the resorts of Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo was most destroyed, there are no completely destroyed hotels in Havana and Varadero, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) reports on Friday.

"Most tour operators reported the forced relocation of tourists from the most damaged hotels to others. Cancellations in Cuba are still isolated," ATOR said.

Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo were hit hardest by Hurricane Irma in Cuba. Tour operators who put their charters to Cuba planned to start flight programs in Cayo Coco from October. The tour operator Pegas Touristik has not yet changed plans for Cayo Coco and will resolve the issue as the situation normalizes.

Tour operator Anex Tour does not plan to fly to Cayo Coco yet, arguing that a number of hotels on the island cannot be restored at all, and the rest can be restored no earlier than in one or two months. Tourists who have already purchased tours to Cayo Coco from the tour operator are offered to change the direction, in particular, to the Dominican Republic. According to the tour operator ICS Travel Group, Cubans plan to restore hotels on the islands by November.

According to ATOR, the situation in Havana and Varadero is much better. In the resort of Varadero, some hotels have broken glass, broken verandas, fallen trees, electrical damage. The host companies promise that everything will be fixed within two weeks. The beach strip of Varadero has been badly damaged and now they are clearing debris and installing new umbrellas. According to the Ministry of Tourism of Cuba, in the regions of Holguin, Baracoa, Camaguey, Trinidad, and Santiago de Cuba, the tourism infrastructure is functioning normally.

As specified in the message, in Varadero, all hotels of the Melia chain are open and operate as normal, with the exception of the Paradisus Varadero, Melia Peninsula Varadero and Royal Service Paradisus Prinncesa del Mar hotels. Of the most serious damage, damage to the dome of the Meliá Varadero hotel is noted. They promise to fix it within a month.

Hotel holding Iberostar announced that almost all hotels in Varadero and Havana have returned to normal operation. Currently, only Iberostar Alameda and Habana Riviera by Iberostar are closed for emergency repairs.

Formed in the Atlantic Ocean, Hurricane Irma last week became the longest-serving Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Rostourism on Wednesday reported serious destruction of the tourist infrastructure to Cuba as a result of the passage of the Irma.

A meeting was held at the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in Moscow with a representative of the Ministry of Tourism of the Island, an adviser to the diplomatic mission on tourism Edilberto Riverón Leon. The specialist spoke about the situation in the republic after the most powerful hurricane Irma and answered the questions of the observer of the International Affairs. His main conclusion: Cuba is ready to receive tourists from Russia

... Cuba survived the most devastating hurricane Irma in decades, said Edilberto Riveron. natural disaster a powerful skating rink swept through the countries of the Caribbean region, destroying many cities and even entire island states. A hurricane raged in Cuba for several days. On a number of islands of the Cuban archipelago, the entire tourist infrastructure was damaged by the hurricane, hotels, houses and outbuildings were washed away by monstrous sea waves. Huge casualties were avoided only thanks to a well-established scheme of work of the Civil Defense Forces of the Island, which a short time more than a million Cuban citizens and foreign tourists were evacuated from dangerous coastal zones. But still, it was not possible to completely avoid human casualties: according to preliminary data from the National Civil Defense Headquarters, in Cuba, the hurricane claimed the lives of 10 people. And that is mainly due to non-compliance with security measures.

Hurricane Irma destroyed or damaged hundreds of tourism facilities, Agriculture, dwellings and communications. So, the hurricane damaged more than 1400 educational institutions, 500 of them - in Havana. Many courtyards and streets of the capital have simply become part of the sea. In cities and towns, blockages from fallen trees formed. The world-famous resort of Varadero and other tourism areas were also badly damaged by the hurricane. The total damage caused to Cuba by Irma, due to its volume, has not yet been determined.

As Edilberto Riveron noted, Cuban President Raul Castro, through local media, appealed to the citizens of the republic with an appeal to roll up their sleeves and restore their country as soon as possible. The head of the republic, in particular, said: “Hurricane Irma, with its destructive power, raged over our island for more than three days, from the morning of September 8 to noon on Sunday, September 10. The wind force exceeded 250 kilometers per hour, the hurricane passed through the north of the country from the city of Baracoa, which suffered from another similar cataclysm almost a year ago, to the outskirts of Cardenas in the province of Matanzas. However, due to the immensity of the size and power of the hurricane, virtually no part of Cuban territory escaped its consequences. Difficult days are lived by our people, who in just a few hours saw how the hurricane destroyed what they had created. The shots of the last hours are eloquent, as is the spirit of resistance and victory of our people, which is reborn after every misfortune.

There will be a lot of work in the coming days. And once again the strength of the Cubans and the unshakable confidence in their Revolution will be demonstrated. This is not a time to mourn, but a time to rebuild what the winds of Hurricane Irma tried to destroy.

As always, every time a weather phenomenon strikes us, we receive many displays of solidarity from all over the world. Heads of state and government, political organizations and friends from solidarity movements have expressed their readiness to help us, and we thank them on behalf of more than 11 million Cubans,” said our leader, General of the Army Raul Castro, quoting Cuban leader E. Riveron.

"Immediately after Hurricane Irma, Cuba began intensive work to restore the national economy and housing in the provinces affected by the disaster," said the tourism adviser. - Repair measures are being carried out at a rapid pace at tourism and agricultural facilities, the inhabitants of Cuba are unanimously clearing the streets of cities, repairing damaged homes.

We are grateful to all states for their support, solidarity and confidence in repairing the damage caused by Hurricane Irma in several Cuban cities and tourist destinations,” said Riveron.

Cuban Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero told the media that despite the damage caused by Hurricane Irma, the tourism sector is intensively preparing for the high season. In accordance with the standards, each hotel facility will be brought to excellent condition. For this, the country has all the necessary resources.

Our Minister also invites tourists, instead of Cayo Coco and Santa Maria, the two destinations most affected by the hurricane, to consider other resort places that Cuba has in abundance, such as Holguin, unaffected by the hurricane, or the picturesque island of Cayo Largo. There are no catastrophic damages in the hotels in Cuba, most of them are operating normally. Many hotels in Varadero are open or will soon be open.

In Varadero hotels, glass windows, light Wall panels and ceilings. Also, damage was done to the landscape of the territories of some hotels. 70% of hotels operate continuously.

The airports of Havana and Varadero are already operating and receive flights from all countries. Aeroflot has been flying regularly to Havana since September 12th. Tourism infrastructure in the unaffected regions of Holguin, Baracoa, Camagüey, Trinidad Santiago de Cuba is functioning normally. To date, 87% of the water supply has been restored in Cuba. This means that more than 7 million people have access to safe drinking water.

The national power system is also already in operation, allowing almost all hotels and hospitals in Havana to connect to the national grid. Let me emphasize that 222 out of 302 electrical circuits in Havana have been restored very quickly and work well. Studying proccess continues throughout the country, and Cuba is gradually returning to a normal rhythm of life, said Edilberto Riveron. He also urged Russian tourists not to be afraid to go to Cuba, since the vast majority of the infrastructure of the hospitality industry has already been restored and is functioning normally.”

At the same time, Edilberto Riveron said that this year Cuba has already (from January to September) received more than 70 thousand guests from Russia, which is 110% compared to 2016 (65,400 people). “Although it is too early to make forecasts for the whole of 2017, we assume that we will be able to reach a record figure by accepting 100,000 Russian tourists by January 1, 2018,” concluded Edilberto Riveron. “Cuba is ready to receive Russians”!..

Hurricane Irma was a real blow to tourist Cuba. Tourists post photos of destroyed lobbies and rooms with broken windows and broken furniture on social networks. We can agree that such posts cannot reflect the real picture of the state of the resort. What is happening in Varadero now, decided to personally find out the Spanish travel agent - he drove around the hotels and posted a report on tripadvisor. We invite you to familiarize yourself with it in order to decide whether it is worth going to Cuba now.

"Irma" roamed

According to the travel agent, the elements not only worked on the hotels, but also literally filled up the entire resort with debris, stones and fallen trees. Despite the fact that Varadero Airport should be open any day, getting to it is very difficult. The road is blocked by fallen electric poles and various debris. The city itself was also badly damaged. There are problems with electricity, some shops do not work.

Inspection of hotels showed that many of them have common problems. Access to some is actually blocked by trees and debris. Although the hotels themselves have begun restoration work, the roads to them have not yet been cleared. There is also no regular electricity supply. Most hotels run on backup power generators. cellular and the Internet are available intermittently.

In his report, the travel agent notes that most of the guests are in their rooms, as authorities ask them to stay away from beach areas and areas damaged by the hurricane. At the same time, restaurants have not resumed their work in all hotels; where there are problems with food, food is again delivered to tourists directly to their rooms.

Counted on the heads

In addition to the general assessment, the travel agent spoke about the state of the most popular hotels in the resort. Many of them are badly damaged, but there are those that were practically not affected by Hurricane Irma.

Blau Marina Varadero- the hotel received serious damage, as it is located right on the tip of the peninsula and came under direct attack from the Irma. In the main building, the wind destroyed the roof and glass doors. There are also damages in the rooms themselves. The waves washed away the beach.

Melia Marina Varadero– windows are broken in some rooms, balconies are damaged, but the most damage can be seen in the common areas of the hotel, especially in the lobby. The hotel is located on a hill, so protection from gusts of wind is minimal.

Grand Memories Varadero– Restoration work will be required in the foyer. Irma also caused great damage to the roof, gardens and pools of the hotel. According to CEO hotel, about 40 rooms will have to be repaired, in particular, windows are broken. But in general, there are no serious structural damages. However, access to the beach is practically blocked.

Memories Varadero– The hotel is in relatively good condition. Some restoration work will be required in the corridors, public areas and rooms on the upper floors, where leaks in the ceiling can only be repaired after a complete roof replacement. At present, the hotel has already opened a lobby bar without alcoholic drinks. It is planned that soon he will be able to work as usual.

Paradisus Varadero- the roof on the roof was partially demolished, the main building was also badly damaged by the wind, the new restaurant, which was being built near the beach, collapsed. Apparently, the restoration of the hotel will cost the owner a large sum.

Royalton Hicacos- Another hotel that has received a lot of damage. Because of the waves, the beach area is washed out. The restaurant on the beach is partially destroyed, the roof is torn off in places. The Caribeño restaurant has broken windows. The territory of the hotel is littered with rubble.

Iberostar Varadero- part of the bungalows had thatched roofs blown away, those that were located by the pool were completely destroyed. The hotel theater was damaged.

Be Live Turquesa– the hotel was evacuated, so it was not possible to conduct a full inspection.

Playa de Oro- The windows in the rooms are broken. The hotel lobby and swimming pool were partially destroyed. Fallen trees throughout. Nevertheless, the restaurant works and provides guests with food.

ROC Arenas Doradas– The hotel is in relatively good condition. In some places, air conditioners were torn down, but there was no significant damage.

Melia Las Antillas– the hotel was also almost not damaged. Minor damage to the facade will be quickly repaired.

Blau Varadero- due to the fact that the hotel is quite high, the main damage occurred on the upper floors. The lobby was largely unaffected by the hurricane.

Starfish Varadero- No major damage was noted.

Brisas del Caribe– Rooms and lobby heavily damaged. During the inspection, several tourists were seen waiting to be resettled due to broken glass in their rooms and leaking ceilings.

Iberostar Laguna Azul– the hotel is located on a hill, but did not receive serious damage, despite the open location. However, several bungalows are completely destroyed, the roof was torn off the restaurant.

Starfish Cuatro Palmas The hotel has been evacuated. A cursory inspection showed partial damage to the façade.

At the end of his note, the travel agent predicted that the repair of all damage would take at least a few months. This is due to the fact that the priority is the restoration of electricity, water supply and telecommunications services. Hoteliers will be the last to repair facades and rooms.

Note that numerous destructions in hotels in Cuba were officially reported by Rostourism. However, in case of refusal of tourists from tours to the island, cancellations will occur in a standard format, taking into account the actual costs incurred by the tour operator. Therefore, to sell Cuba now or not, the travel agent must decide on his own.

When will it be possible to send tourists to hotels restored after Hurricane Irma, what about the renovation of hotels in Varadero, and when will Cayo Coco Airport start working? The ATOR Bulletin was looking for answers.

Recognized as the most powerful over the past few decades in the Caribbean, from 8 to 11 September. As a result, the element affected 14 of the 15 provinces of the country, resorts were especially hard hit.in northern Cuba. However, thanks to preventive measures and the well-coordinated work of the Cuban authorities, none of the tourists were injured.

According to Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, the island is already receiving tourists from different countries. According to him, the Cuban government has taken all measures to achieve full. All restoration work is being carried out "in record time", including the acceleration of the island industry, which fulfills urgent orders for hotels for furniture, engineering and supply building materials. According to the Ministry of Tourism of the country, by November 1, all hotels on the island will be ready to receive tourists.

As the minister noted, currently in all resorts of the country, tourist facilities are supplied with water, communications and electricity without any restrictions.

Roads and beaches are being intensively restored, and resort areas are being improved. Thus, the roads to the resorts of Cayo Santa Maria and Cayo Coco have been completely repaired, which also facilitates the process of reconstruction of the hotel stock that has suffered there.

WHEN CAN YOU FLY TO CAYO COCO AND CAYO SANTA MARIA

By November 15 repairs will be completed at the airport of the resort of Cayo Coco - Jardines del Rey: the work here is recognized as the most complex and technologically advanced. Several specialized teams are working on the restoration of the terminal almost around the clock. In October, a small airport will serve tourists in this region Cayo Las Dunas.

Like how Pullman Cayo Coco have already completed the cleaning and sanitization of their premises and outdoor areas. There are objects on the restoration of which more than 100 people are working at the same time.

By mid-November, 14 out of 18 hotels in the Jardines del Rey archipelago (which includes the islands of Cayo Coco, Cayo Santa Maria and Cayo Guillermo) will be fully operational. All of them are expected to start accepting tourists. from the first days of November.

It is reported that the hotels of the Cayo Santa Maria resort will be fully prepared for the meeting of vacationers. by the beginning of November. By mid-October, they will be fully restored here. five hotels with a total fund of 4200 rooms.

To a lesser extent than the northern resorts, the tourist zone of the most popular Cuban resort suffered - Varadero. Currently there are already 47 out of 52 hotels. No less attention is paid to the issue of restoration of vegetation, green and landscape areas. As Morrero stressed, in general, the hurricane did not damage the beaches, moreover, in some cases, the wind and waves brought more sand to them, which has already been cleaned.

The remaining five hotels: Puntarena, Playa Caleta, Paradisus Varadero, Ocean Patriarca and Meliá Península- will be ready to receive tourists Nov. 1.

ROADS AND MALEKON REPAIR IN HAVANA

The process of restoring Havana is actively underway. With the exception of some hotels, almost all hotels in Havana, located on the coast, have already been renovated. V 15 out of 18 hotels are already accepting tourists. Tropicoco and Chateau Miramar hotels nearing completion.

In addition, the authorities pay great attention to the reconstruction of Havana's infrastructure. Flooded roads and tunnels have been repaired. The famous Malecon promenade, one of the visiting cards of the Cuban capital, returns to its usual shape: some of its participants were destroyed during the flood. As assured in Cuba, by the high season, the Malecon will again be available to tourists along its entire length.

The Cuban authorities, together with hoteliers, are making every effort to restore the hotels affected by Hurricane Irma as soon as possible, ATOR reports with reference to the country's Ministry of Tourism.

CAYO COCO AND CAYO SANTA MARIA WILL BE BACK TO ORDER BY MID-NOVEMBER

As the Minister of Tourism of Cuba, Manuel Marrero Cruz, following the results of a personal inspection of problematic objects over the weekend, stressed, all objects damaged by Irma in the country will be ready and will start working again before the start of the high season.

According to him, today 4,600 out of 5,000 hotel rooms in the eastern tourist zone are already ready to receive tourists, and the rest in this part of the country will certainly be commissioned before the end of September. The tourist areas of Cayo Coco and Cayo Santa Maria, where the elements caused the most damage, will be put in order by mid-November.

HOW MANY TOURISTS EVACUATED IN ADVANCE

In an interview with Cuban media, Cuba's First Deputy Minister of Tourism, Alexis Trujillo Moreon, described the unprecedented measures taken to ensure the safety of thousands of tourists. As of September 5, there were almost 46,000 people on the north coast alone when the hurricane began. V total more than 10 thousand tourists needed evacuation, of which about 5 thousand were transported to Havana and Varadero; the other 5,000 vacationers (these were Canadians) were sent home before the arrival of the Irma.

The hurricane passed quite close to Varadero. At that moment, there were 16.8 thousand tourists and 4.2 thousand employees of the tourism sector at the resort. "No one was hurt, which was due to timely preparation, organization and discipline," said Alexis Trujillo. The hotel fund also managed to avoid serious damage: out of 57 hotels on Varadero, according to the head of the Cuban tourism department, only nine were seriously damaged.

Regarding the hotel sector in Havana, the first deputy minister said that a decision had been made to evacuate all 18 sites located on the north coast of the capital "due to the imminent risk of flooding in coastal areas."

HOW THE RECOVERY GOES

Currently, the tourism sector in the eastern part of Cuba is working without any restrictions: Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba and Granma were not affected. In Holguin, where the hotels suffered very little damage, they quickly returned to normal operation.

In Varadero, restoration work is currently underway here, and most of the hotels are working. As local officials promise, the entire hotel fund will be 100% ready to receive guests by November 15th. More damage was recorded in hotels on the northern tip of the peninsula: these are fallen trees and torn power lines, partially torn roofs and damaged ceilings, facades, broken windows and doors.

In Havana, as a result of squally winds and flooding, some hotels on the coast also recorded minor damage, which they promise to fix before the end of September. But there are also a number of hotels that have been seriously flooded: it will take longer to reopen them.

Popular Havana hotels such as Arenal, Memories Jibacoa, Cohiba, Aquarium and Commodore are expected to reopen this week. Most of the Havana hotel complex operates as before: in total, today 60 hotel facilities are available to tourists, as well as 11 thousand rooms in the private sector.