Hurricane Rafael knocks out power in Cuba, weeks after nationwide blackout

Cuba was without power once again as strong winds from Hurricane Rafael disconnected the power across the island, the county's electric company said, weeks after another nationwide blackout. 

The Category 3 storm swirled past the Cayman Islands on its way toward western Cuba on Wednesday afternoon, making landfall in the province of Artemisa, just east of Playa Majana. The hurricane made landfall at 4:15 p.m. with maximum sustained winds near 115 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. 

Millions of Cubans were without power in October, which prompted the government to implement emergency measures to slash demand, including suspending classes, shutting down some state-owned workplaces and canceling nonessential services. Cubans without power resorted to cooking with improvised wood stoves on the streets before the food went bad in refrigerators as they waited for the power to go back on.