HAVANA (AP) — Cuban authorities say power has been almost completely restored in the eastern city of Santiago nearly three weeks after Hurricane Sandy.
A report in Communist Party newspaper Granma says the lights are back on for 99.8 percent of customers in the city and 47 percent in outlying areas.
Santiago took a near-direct hit from Sandy on Oct. 25. The storm killed 11 people on the island, damaged more than 200,000 homes and caused significant crop losses.
Authorities have not given an estimate of the total economic damage. But the U.N. says Sandy may end up being the most devastating storm to hit that part of Cuba in at least 50 years.
Granma said Wednesday that phone service is expected to be at 90 percent of normal by month’s end.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
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Boys in uniform walk to school in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, Monday, Nov. 5, 2012. Classes resumed Monday in a sign of some return to normalcy, but more than 100 schools remain shuttered due to storm damage. (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Cubadebate)
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Students salute as they sing their national anthem before classes begin in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, Monday, Nov. 5, 2012. Classes resumed Monday in a sign of some return to normalcy after the passing of Hurricane Sandy, but more than 100 schools remain shuttered due to storm damage. (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Cubadebate)
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Boys in uniform walk to school in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, Monday, Nov. 5, 2012. Classes resumed Monday in a sign of some return to normalcy, but more than 100 schools remain shuttered due to storm damage. (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Cubadebate)
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Students salute as they sing their national anthem before classes begin in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, Monday, Nov. 5, 2012. Classes resumed Monday in a sign of some return to normalcy after the passing of Hurricane Sandy, but more than 100 schools remain shuttered due to storm damage. (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Cubadebate)
