Hurricane Charley Cuts Power, Damages Homes In Cuba

HAVANA, Aug 13 (AFP) - Hurricane Charley tore roofs off houses, ripped up trees and caused power cuts as it tore across Cuba early Friday but no deaths were immediately reported.
Violent winds battered the capital, Havana, damaging buildings and bringing down electricity and telephone cables. Electricity and gas supplies were cut.
But state radio and television said no fatalities had been reported from the storm, which was heading for the Florida coast.
The national meteorology institute said there had been flooding in parts of the south coast provinces of Havana and Matanzas after waves of up to five meters (16.5 feet) were whipped up by the storm.
Hurricane Charley crossed the coast just after midnight and took just over two hours to cross Cuba.
According to civil defence authorities, about 215,000 people were evacuated from risk areas before the storm arrived.