Cuba begins to turn lights back on after Hurricane Ian blacks out island

Fallen utility poles and branches line a street after Hurricane Ian hit Pinar del Rio, Cuba (Ramon Espinosa/AP)

Cuban officials said they have begun to restore some power after Hurricane Ian knocked out electricity to the entire island while devastating some of the country’s most important tobacco farms when it hit the island’s western tip as a major storm.

The Energy and Mines Ministry announced it had restored energy to three regions by activating two large power plants in Felton and Nuevitas and was working to get others back on line.