While Havana is expected to be spared the worst of Irma’s wrath, cities such as Ciego de Avila and Santa Clara in the island’s central provinces appear at risk of significant damage. Forecasts show Irma veering northward toward Florida after that.

State media Friday showed images of soldiers and Cuban civil defense brigades moving residents into shelters, including underground caverns used by the military. The government said it had prepared at least 39 caves for use as emergency shelters, where children and elderly Cubans could be seen eating sandwiches and snacks in the near-darkness. Some brought blankets and mattresses with them to lay on the cavern floors.

AD

AD

Residents in central Cuba fled from the coast in horse carts and old Studebakers, along with their pets and prized possessions — refrigerators, mattresses and televisions.

Authorities in the coastal city of Gibara in eastern Cuba were reporting significant flooding from waves taller than 25 feet. Major storm surges were also reported in Baracoa, the 500-year-old seaside town devastated by Hurricane Matthew last year.

Cuba’s government prepares for hurricanes almost as if they were foreign military invasions, with a highly-disciplined and centrally-coordinated response that typically keeps death tolls low.

But Irma’s size and the extensive swath of Cuban territory vulnerable to the storm will put a strain on the government’s ability to move so many people into shelters and guarantee supplies of emergency aid.

AD

AD

And though Cuba’s government has been widely praised for minimizing the loss of life from storms such as Irma, major hurricanes tend to inflict extensive damage to the country’s rickety infrastructure and dilapidated housing.