Fast-Moving Paloma Smacks Cuba

Hurricane Weakens To Cat. 3 After Making Landfall On Island's Southern Coast

(CBS/AP)  Powerful Hurricane Paloma slammed into southern Cuba on Saturday as authorities scrambled to protect crops and move hundreds of thousands of people to safer ground on an island still reeling from two other devastating storms.

Paloma made landfall near Santa Cruz del Sur as an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm, but quickly weakened into a still-ferocious Category 3 with winds of 115 mph and torrential rains, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

It was expected to steadily lose strength as it moved across the island before hitting the central Bahamas by Sunday night or Monday.

Early reports of damage in Cuba were limited, but state television said the late-season storm toppled a major communications tower on the southern coast and interrupted electricity and phone service.

In the central-eastern province of Camaguey, more than 220,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas. Another 170,000 people were moved in the eastern province of Las Tunas.

The storm is expected to heavily damage fields planted with quick growing crops - which is a major blow to Cuba as the country tries desperately to increase food production following the devastation of around one-third of the island’s harvests by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in a one week period late in the summer, reports CBS News producer Portia Siegelbaum.

Former President Fidel Castro warned in an essay published by Cuban state media Saturday that Paloma would cause about $9.4 billion in damage and destroying nearly a third of the island's crops.

Bakeries are turning out tray after tray of bread loaves; powdered milk is being processed and packed in convenient plastic containers for rapid delivery to residents in the storm-threatened areas, reports Siegelbaum. People worried about post-storm shortages, lined up in the rain to buy vegetables harvested quickly by a government that already lost a third of its food crops to hurricane Gustav and Ike and emptied store shelves as they stocked up on supplies.

And throughout the endangered cities and towns linemen worked to protect the electricity network, reports Siegelbaum. Residents took down roofing from recently repaired homes and tried to secure others with sacks of sand. Small crafts were brought onto land, irrigation equipment was removed from fields and construction material recently distributed to the population was removed from harm’s way.

In the city of Camaguey, 79-year-old Rosa Perez waited out the storm at a government shelter with her 83-year-old husband and about 900 others from the town of Santa Cruz del Sur.

Perez was a toddler when she watched her mother, older sister and about 40 other relatives swept away in a storm surge during a 1932 hurricane that killed about 3,000 people.

"We're just waiting to see what happens to our home and our beach," she said.

Fellow Santa Cruz del Sur resident Aida Perez, who is not related, watched the news with her daughters, ages 19 and 10.

"This is a really hard blow," the 44-year-old said, adding she was certain they would lose their home and everything in it. "What's important is that we are alive."

Outside on the nearly deserted, flooded streets, four men struggled in pouring rain to carry a refrigerator to a more secure building.

Late Saturday, Paloma was located about 35 miles south-southeast of Camaguey. Once packing winds of 145 mph, the storm had begun to weaken over land and was moving northeast at about 7 mph. It was expected to slow Sunday as it crossed Cuba and hit the open Atlantic by late morning.

Still, hurricane force winds extended up to 30 miles from the storm's center and rainfall was due to reach 5 to 10 inches in central and eastern Cuba, with isolated totals of 20 inches possible.

"Although it may weaken a bit, we have to pay full attention to this storm," top Cuban meteorologist Jose Rubiera told state television and radio.

Before Paloma made landfall, Cuba's National Information Agency said crops, poultry and pork operations were being protected in the eastern provinces of Camaguey and Santiago. State television showed workers warehousing bags of rice, trimming tree branches and clearing storm drains. Bus and train service was suspended across central and eastern Cuba.

Evacuations were not reported in other provinces, but Cuba regularly relocates masses of people to higher ground ahead of tropical storms and hurricanes, preventing major losses of life.

The hurricane center said Paloma could bring parts of the island battering waves and a life-threatening storm surge of up to 23 feet. Rubiera, the Cuban meteorologist, warned residents along the southern coast to be especially vigilant.

Elsewhere, Paloma knocked out power across much of Grand Cayman island, downing trees, flooding low-lying areas and ripping off roofs. But residents appeared unscathed as businesses reopened and electricity and water service were restored on Saturday.

Donovan Ebanks, chairman of the Hazard Management Committee, said no injuries were reported.

"There has been minimal, if any, damage on Grand Cayman," Ebanks said.

Paloma's fierce winds ripped the roofs off some buildings on Cayman Brac, to the east.

A tropical storm warning remained in effect late Saturday for the central Bahamas, including Cat Island, the Exumas, Long Island, Rum Cay, San Salvador, Acklins Island, Crooked Island and the Ragged Islands.

[eddom949]

Hello, Cuba!

[sioux4life1]

DeckWad you arrogant a$$ People like you are always bitter, sick and twisted. Pray you never need the red cross, salvation army or any emergency need. I surprised you didn''t post about the kids in Haiti, PUNK

[FHMullane]

Too bad the Cubans in America cannot go there after the storm to help or send supplies or money. How Cruel George Bush!!!

[lewiston14]

WOW This late in the season and headed for the middle of Cuba as a cat 4. The is going to do some serious damage. I hope it misses us.