Tropical storm Laura damages over 3,800 houses in Cuba

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Havana, (Asian independent) Tropical storm Laura, which lashed Cuba last week with winds of more than 100 km per hour, damaged at least 3,839 homes, officials said.

As many as 115 houses were totally destroyed, and 231 were partially destroyed, while the vast majority — 3,095 — sustained partial damage to roofs and 320, total damage to roofs, Xinhua news agency quoted the National Defence Council as saying on Tuesday.

Recovery teams have already fixed 469 homes, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Planning Alejandro Gil said.

The storm lashed the entire length of Cuba’s southern coast between August 23-25, before heading towards the US.

The hardest-hit areas were Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo to the east, and Pinar del Rio to the west.

The storm also caused damage to electricity networks, communications infrastructure and crops.

After leaving Cuba, Laura strengthened into a powerful category 4 hurricane before hitting the US Gulf Coast, causing significant damage in the state of Louisiana.