Consulacion del Sur (Cuba) (AFP) - Cuba was plunged into darkness on Tuesday evening after a total power outage caused by severe damage to the electrical grid caused by the passage of Hurricane Ian, which did not claim lives and is now threatening the US state of Florida.

And the public electricity company, Onion Electrica, wrote in a tweet that the country is “without electricity service,” noting that this power outage was caused by the damage caused by the passage of Ian, a category three hurricane that swept across the west of the island.

In turn, Lázaro Guerra, the technical director of the public electricity company, said in a statement to Cuban television, "There is currently no electricity service in any part of the country."

Very few people who have generators in their homes or offices have access to electricity in a country of 11.2 million people.

Although the cyclone had left the island on Tuesday evening, the rain and winds had not stopped in the coastal area, as a number of residents walked in the streets guided by the lights of their mobile phones, while others lit up their homes with candles or flashlights powered by batteries.

In a tweet, the Cuban Civil Defense called for caution after the hurricane passed. "Hurricane Ian is moving away from the national territory, but its devastating fallout continues," he wrote.

The eye of the hurricane left Cuban territory at 09:50 (16:50 GMT) near Puerto Esperanca, according to the Meteorological Institute of Cuba.

The US National Hurricane Center stated that "the eye of Hurricane Ian will move to the southeastern Gulf of Mexico after a few hours, passing west of the Keys archipelago" in southern Florida "and approaching the west coast of Florida (...) Wednesday."

The center had previously predicted that Ian would gain more strength before hitting the west coast of Florida, at which time it would be classified as a major hurricane and "extremely dangerous."

The center also warned that "potentially deadly waves, catastrophic winds and flooding should be expected" in the Florida peninsula.

In Cuba, the authorities did not count any casualties, but strong winds and heavy rains continue in the west of the island, where the hurricane sowed destruction in several towns, according to what AFP journalists saw.

On the Via Sam Juan y Martinez, 190 kilometers from Havana, the hurricane hit Pinar del Rio, where most of the country's tobacco plantations are concentrated. Crops were flooded, trees were uprooted, and electric cables were strewn across the land.

"I don't know what we can do this season," said Yoslan Rodrigues, a 37-year-old tobacco farmer whose farm was completely destroyed.

Wind speeds reached 208 kilometers per hour in San Juan y Martines.

On Tuesday, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel visited the most affected region of Pinar del Rio. "The damage is great," he wrote in a tweet, confirming that aid had been sent to the area.

In Cuba, about 40,000 people were evacuated from their homes in the province of Pinar del Rio, where "the damage is severe," according to local Communist Party official Yamila Ramos.

In the capital, which has a population of 2.1 million people, two houses partially collapsed, according to Alexis Acosta, the administrative officer for the old quarter of Havana.

And declared a state of emergency in all parts of Florida, as the authorities step up preparations. State Governor Ron DeSantis said, "Simulations show that the hurricane will first hit south of Tampa Bay (...) catastrophic floods will be recorded in some areas, as well as deadly waves."

Residents were asked to buy supplies and expected power outages. Seven thousand members of the National Guard have been mobilized.

US President Joe Biden, who approved emergency federal aid for 24 of Florida's 67 counties, said Ian "could be a very violent hurricane that would have devastating effects and endanger lives."

And a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, General Pat Ryder, said that air means, such as helicopters, are ready to intervene.

White House spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre confirmed that Biden held talks on Tuesday evening with DeSantis to discuss the preparations.

In Tampa, municipal employees filled sandbags for free distribution throughout the city. Authorities have ordered evacuations in the most vulnerable areas near the perimeter.

And the US space agency (NASA) abandoned launching a high-powered rocket towards the moon from the Kennedy Space Center located in this state in the southeastern United States.

And Ian came after Hurricane Fiona, which swept Saturday, the coast of Canada overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, claiming three lives, after hitting the Caribbean, where seven people died.