Cuba left reeling as Hurricane Rafael ravages island and knocks out power grid

Waves break on the beach during the passing of Hurricane Rafael in Havana, Cuba (Ramon Espinosa/AP)

Cuba was left reeling on Thursday after a fierce Category 3 hurricane ripped across the island and knocked out the country’s power grid.

The magnitude of the impact remained unclear through the early hours of the day, but forecasters warned that Hurricane Rafael could bring “life-threatening” storm surges, winds and flash floods to Cuba after ravaging parts of the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.