Ike slams Cuba Sep 9, 2008
The hurricane diminished to a category one storm on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale after it crossed Cuba, blowing maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometres (80 miles) per hour and moving offshore in a west-northwest direction toward Pinar del Rio province ... After crossing the island, Ike turned onto an offshore track parallel to Cuba's south coast, putting it on a path to plow by the Isle of Youth and cross the country a second time in western Pinar del Rio province. (iAfrica.com)
Cuba on alert for arrival of Hurricane Ike Sep 8, 2008
Hurricane Gustav, which was also a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson intensity scale, hit Juventud island and the province of Pinar del Rio eight days ago. Describing Hurricane Ike as "very dangerous," local official daily Juventud Rebelde said "Cuba has not seen a similar event since almost 50 years ago.". (Xinhuanet, China)
U.S. Provides Hurricane Assistance to Cuba Sep 6, 2008
According to the Pinar del Rio Civil Defense Committee, the hurricane damaged an estimated 86,000 homes, 80 electric towers, and 600 electric posts in Pinar del Rio Province. In addition, crops including banana, citrus, coffee, rice, sugar cane, and tobacco sustained significant damage, according to OCHA. On September 3, U.S. Chief of Mission Jonathan D. Farrar issued a disaster declaration in response to the effects of the hurricane. (PR Newswire)
Cuban dissidents ask Bush to suspend embargo after hurricane Sep 6, 2008
The smaller island, Isla de la Juventud, and the region of Pinar del Rio were particularly devastated. Two aeroplanes arrived in Cuba from Russia on Thursday, carrying tents and other items for those rendered homeless. (SINDH TODAY)
Fidel Castro: Hurricane to cost Cuba billions Sep 5, 2008
Gustav reached Category 4 strength with winds of 140 mph when it slammed into the outlying island on Saturday, then crossed a tobacco-rich swath of the western province of Pinar del Rio on mainland Cuba before re-entering the Gulf of Mexico and continuing to the United States. Gustav's winds were down to about 110 mph by the time its center hit Louisiana two days later. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Fidel Castro: Gustav Like 'Atomic Bomb' on Cuba Sep 4, 2008
Gustav reached Category 4 strength with winds of 140 mph (220 kph) when it slammed into the outlying island on Saturday, then crossed a tobacco-rich swath of the western province of Pinar del Rio on mainland Cuba before re-entering the Gulf of Mexico and continuing to the U.S.. Gustav's winds were down to about 110 mph (175 kph) by the time its center hit Louisiana two days later. (Newsmax)
Counting the cost Sep 3, 2008
In the western province of Pinar Del Rio, grandparents like to tell tales of the Great Hurricane of 1944 ... One weather station in Pinar del Rio recorded gusts of 340km/h, a new record for this hurricane-swept island ... It has been down to the string of vice-presidents to hit the road, reassuring people and overseeing recovery efforts in the Isle of Youth and across Pinar del Rio province. (BBC News -- Americas)
With 212-mph gusts, storm hits Cuba Sep 2, 2008
In Pinar del Rio, the western tobacco-producing region, highways were blocked by fallen trees and downed power lines, and all public transportation ground to a halt. People who lost their homes gathered in nearby fields, and Puig said authorities were working to relocate those left homeless by the storm. (Boston Globe)
Cuba says Gustav damaged more than 90,000 houses Sep 2, 2008
HAVANA, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Cuba said on Monday more than 90,000 houses were damaged or destroyed when Hurricane Gustav tore through the western province of Pinar del Rio on Saturday with 150-mile-per-hour (240-kph) winds ... On state television, Lage said during a trip to the worst-hit Pinar del Rio towns that power supply was a "very grave and urgent problem." ... The top official of the ruling Communist Party in Pinar del Rio, the main growing region for Cuba's famed tobacco, said more than 4... (AlertNet)
Gustav Sweeps Across Cuba Sep 1, 2008
Pinar del Rio and the Isle of Youth, a small island south of Havana province which was struck first, are totally without lights. Banana plantations were decimated in Pinar del Rio but the government is reporting that tobacco workers were able to transport the recently harvested leaves destined for its famed cigar industry to safe ground before Gustav struck. (CBS News)
Cuba digs out from Gustav Sep 1, 2008
In Pinar del Rio, the western tobacco-producing region, highways were blocked by fallen trees and downed power lines, and all public transportation ground to a halt ... The 800,000 residents of Pinar del Rio and the Isle of Youth remained without power on Sunday, as did many of the more than three million residents of adjoining Havana province and the capital ... Damage to recently harvested tobacco in Pinar del Rio was still being tallied. (MSNBC -- International)
Gustav Nearing Louisiana Coast... Sep 1, 2008
Officials in Pinar del Rio stated that this was the worst hurricane to strike the region since 1944. While the international focus is on Gustav. (The Drudge Report)
* Hurricane warning issued as Gustav nears US Gulf Coast Sep 1, 2008
The hurricane slammed into Cuba on Saturday afternoon, first raking over the Isle of Youth 64km off the southwestern coast, then coming ashore in Pinar del Rio, the islands westernmost province and main tobacco region. Cuban officials said the storm flattened trees, damaged buildings, demolished banana plantations and, on the Isle of Youth, washed boats ashore. (Taipei Times, Taiwan)
UPDATE 1-Cubans pick up pieces amid Gustav destruction Sep 1, 2008
Her tale of terror and damage was shared by thousands of people in the path of Gustav, which left a panorama of destruction after it ripped through the western province of Pinar del Rio and the Isle of Youth 40 miles (60 km) out in the Caribbean Sea. Share. (Reuters UK)
Hurricane Gustav 'the end of the world' Sep 1, 2008
Los Palacios, in the western tobacco-growing Pinar del Rio province, was one of Cuba's first municipalities to be thrashed by Gustav late yesterday ... There were reports of dozens of injuries but no immediate reports of deaths from the storm, which ploughed across the Isle of Youth and then Pinar del Rio yesterday with sustained top winds of 240km/h. (Melbourne Herald Sun)
Cubans pick up pieces after Gustav Sep 1, 2008
Her tale of terror and damage was shared by thousands of people in the path of Gustav, which left a panorama of destruction after it ripped through the western province of Pinar del Rio and the Isle of Youth 40 miles (60 km) out in the Caribbean Sea ... Damage to recently harvested tobacco in Pinar del Rio, the heart of Cuba's prized industry, was not yet known ... The 800,000 residents of Pinar del Rio and the Isle of Youth remained without power on Sunday, as did many of the more than 3... (AlertNet)
Storm destroys homes, spares lives in Cuba Sep 1, 2008
In Pinar del Rio, the western tobacco-producing region, highways were blocked by fallen trees and downed power lines, and all public transportation ground to a halt. Officials measured gusts of 212 mph (340 kph) in the western town of Paso Real del San Diego a new national record for maximum wind speed in a country often hit by major hurricanes, said Miguel Angel Hernandez of the Cuban Institute of Meteorology. (The Clarion-Ledger)
Gustav's 150 mph winds tear through Cuba Sep 1, 2008
Cuba's top meteorologist, Jose Rubiera, said the hurricane's massive center made landfall in mainland Cuba near the community of Los Palacios in Pinar del Rio - a region that produces much of the tobacco used to make Cuba's famed cigars. There, the storm knocked down power lines, shattered windows and blew the roofs off some small homes. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Gustav Devastates Cuba, but None Die Sep 1, 2008
Hurricane Gustav plowed into the Cuban province of Pinar del Rio Saturday, leaving devastation and despair, but no death, in its wake ... "It was really terrible, and I was 50 miles from the eye. I thought that the horror, the noise, would never end," said William Diaz, a resident of the city of Pinar del Rio ... The storm scattered trees and telephone poles like pick-up sticks and the 800,000 residents of Pinar del Rio and the Isle of Youth remained without power on Sunday, as did most of the... (ABC News)
In pictures: Gustav hits Cuba Aug 31, 2008
Hurricane Gustav was just short of Category 5 strength when it made landfall on mainland Cuba near Los Palacios in Pinar del Rio on Saturday ... The Pinar del Rio region produces much of the tobacco used to make Cuban cigars. (BBC News)
New Orleaners told to flee Gustav Aug 31, 2008
Gustav ploughed through Cuba's Isla de la Juventud, or Isle of Youth, overnight on Saturday before hitting the mainland in Pinar del Rio province, home to Cuba's lucrative tobacco plantations. The storm, which has now moved into the Gulf of Mexico, currently has maximum sustained winds of nearly 240km/h (150mph), with even stronger gusts. (BBC News)
After blasting Cuba, Hurricane Gustav aims at US Aug 31, 2008
PINAR DEL RIO, Cuba (AFP) - A weakened Hurricane Gustav took aim at the United States Sunday, sweeping into the Gulf of Mexico from Cuba after a week-long rampage through the Caribbean that left at least 81 dead. ADVERTISEMENT. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Gustav lashes Cuba on way to monster storm in Gulf Aug 31, 2008
Heavy rains and strong winds began to lash Cuba's western province of Pinar del Rio, the main tobacco-growing region, where Gustav was expected to hit the mainland ... "Right now, we have a lot of rain, many fallen trees and the banana crop is almost completely on the ground," said Noel Diaz Gonzalez in the Pinar del Rio town of Paso Quemado. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Slightly Weaker Gustav On Way To U.S. Aug 31, 2008
Forecasters said Gustav was just short of Category 5 strength when it made landfall Saturday on mainland Cuba near the community of Los Palacios in Pinar del Rio ... Although it will take several days for Cuban officials to come up with damage estimates, she said that banana plantations in Pinar del Rio were wiped out and the coffee crop destroyed, and there was significant damage to the citrus crop in Matanzas. (CBS News -- 60 minutes II)
Hurricane Gustav ravages Cuba Aug 31, 2008
Gustav, with 240 kmph winds, poured heavy rains, knocked down power lines and uprooted plants as it swept across Cuba's western Pinar del Rio province, the country's main tobacco-growing region. Authorities have evacuated some 250,000 people in four western provinces. (Xinhuanet, China)
Gustav Swells to Dangerous Cat 4 Storm Off Cuba Aug 31, 2008
The government's AIN news agency said officials were evacuating some 190,000 people from low-lying parts of tobacco-rich Pinar del Rio province on the western tip of Cuba's main island. AIN reported that 50,000 already had been evacuated further east. (Newsmax)
Gustav Growing Into Category 5 Hurricane Aug 31, 2008
Cuba's top meteorologist, Jose Rubiera, said the hurricane's massive center made landfall in mainland Cuba near the community of Los Palacios in Pinar del Rio. a region that produces much of Cuba's famed tobacco. (W-USA News, DC)
Cuban leader verifies preventive actions to face hurrica00004000ne threat Aug 30, 2008
In the western province of Pinar del Rio, Castro talked with officials to know about the preventive action plan, and showed his confidence in the people's training to face the storm, according to a TV news bulletin. Weather forecast showed Gustav was moving toward Great Caiman and Cuba on Friday noon, being expected to strike the center of the region with a wind speed of up to 150 km per hour. (Xinhuanet, China)
Hurricane Gustav bears down on Cuba after killing 85 Aug 30, 2008
The western province of Pinar del Rio and the Isle of Youth were put on the highest level of weather alert as tens of thousands of people were asked to leave their homes ahead in advance of a strengthening storm, which was expected to hit the western tip on the island later in the day. "Gustav is expected to come as a category two or three storm," warned Cuban meteorologist Jose Rubiera. (Yahoo! Asia News)
World catches up with Cuba Aug 23, 2008
The Pinar del Rio light-welterweight was comprehensively outduelled in a spiteful contest with Thailand's Olympic gold medallist Manus Boonjummong who, only two years ago, was on the boxing scrapheap. Boonjummong gambled away the $600,000 bestowed upon him by the King of Thailand after his Athens success, and appeared destined to end his career in ignominy until granted a reprieve by Thailand boxing officials. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
• At Cuban Americans' mom-and-pop agency, travel business isn't moving Aug 16, 2008
The fishing boats at Pinar del Rio. A woman appeared at the door, but not to buy a ticket. (Q13.com, WA)
Weather: Partly cloudy, afternoon storms likely Jul 30, 2008
Melbourne, FL 32940 Last Updated: 07/30/08 08:45:41 EDT. C) Relative Humidity: 97% Barometer: 30. (Florida Today)
President Bush Discusses Cuba, Marks Day of Solidarity May 22, 2008
These names are being whispered in Cuban cities from Pinar del Rio to Santiago de Cuba. These names are being echoed at Solidarity events around the world, as people from South America to Eastern Europe demand the release of all Cuban prisoners -- political prisoners. (White House News Releases)
The pursuit of freedom May 9, 2008
The plan was to leave Pinar Del Rio Cuba and enter Cancun, Mexico, where laws would grant them asylum. Instead, on the second day, their motor broke. (WWLTV.com, LA)
What's the mystery that makes Cuban cigars so great? Apr 21, 2008
Cuba's "Vuelta Abajo" region in Pinar del Rio province has perfect soil, with a hint of sand. The average temperature is 23 degrees Celsius, and humidity hovers around 65 percent. (Xinhuanet, China)
Reggaeton star Elvis Manuel feared dead Apr 15, 2008
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Irioska Mara Nodarse, Elvis Manuels mother, who manages his musical group, and 13 other people in the Florida Straits on Wednesday, two weeks after they left Pinar Del Rio seeking to make the passage to Florida. Five others, including Elvis Manuel, 19, one of Cubas biggest musical stars, could not be found and were presumed dead after rescue efforts were called off over the weekend. (MSNBC -- Music)
Cuba the donorWhy thousands of Bolivians have reason to be grateful to Cuba Feb 29, 2008
Her colleague Dr Mabel, an attractive young eye surgeon from Pinar del Rio, the western-most province of Cuba, agrees. "There's no pack of parties here," she murmurs contentedly. (BBC News -- Americas)
Cuba set for small-scale change Feb 26, 2008
He points to the example of a tobacco co-operative in the western department of Pinar del Rio, where 90% of the producers providing good quality tobacco to state factories are small-holders. There is plenty to suggest Raul Castro will be cautious. (BBC News)
Cuban connection on the South Side Feb 25, 2008
" Although a 10-year age difference exists, Contreras and Ramirez played together for three years with Pinar Del Rio in the Cuban League. Watching a young Ramirez in action caused Contreras to take note even some seven years ago how he could be a star of the future. Of his six full seasons in Cuba, Ramirez never finished below an average of .308 and had three seasons in which he topped the .335 mark. Ramirez also reached double-digit home runs in five seasons, including a career-best 20 in 2007,... (MLB.com -- Chi White Sox White Sox)
Raul Castro Tops Fidel in Cuba Election Jan 31, 2008
The lowest figure -- 73 percent - went to Barbaro Osmani Lago, from the western province of Pinar del Rio. Officials said that 95 percent of eligible voters went to the polls, though about 4. (Newsmax)
Sox reportedly cut deal with Ramirez Dec 22, 2007
Alexei Ramirez hit 87 home runs and 391 RBIs over seven seasons for Pinar Del Rio ... Playing for Pinar Del Rio in Cuba, the same team for which White Sox pitcher Jose Contreras once suited up, Ramirez hit. (MLB.com -- Chi White Sox White Sox)
Cuban slugger Ramirez signs with White Sox Dec 22, 2007
332 with 87 home runs and 391 RBIs in seven seasons in Cuba with Pinar del Rio. Larry Goren/Icon SMI. (SportsIllustrated.CNN -- MLB)
2 comments Dec 12, 2007
Temprana, born in Cuba September 26, 1901, worked with his sons as a sponge diver and lobster fisherman in a small fishing village in the Pinar del Rio Province. During the Cuban Revolution he and three of his sons opposed Fidel Castro and were imprisoned in 1964 for 30 years. (Human Events Online)
Complete weather forecast Dec 7, 2007
Jackson, MS 39201 Last Updated: 12/07/07 07:45:24 EDT. C) Relative Humidity: 74% Barometer: 30. (The Clarion-Ledger)
The leap from Pele to ballet Sep 22, 2007
I never really got used to living in Pinar del Rio ... But it was at the Vocational Arts School in Pinar del Rio that I finally found my passion for ballet ... The school had organised a visit to the theatre in Pinar del Rio to see the Cuban National Ballet perform. (Guardian Unlimited)
Cuban seeks citizenship, hopes to sign with MLB Sep 21, 2007
Ramirez spent most of his seven years with Pinar del Rio as a second baseman and outfielder but hopes to sign as a shortstop to follow in the footsteps of favorite players Ozzie Smith, and ... 332 BA with 87 home runs and 391 RBI in seven seasons with Pinar del Rio in Cuba. (ESPN -- Baseball)
Powerful Hurricane Dean threatens Jamaica Aug 20, 2007
Cuba declared a hurricane emergency for the southeast provinces of Guantanamo, Granma and Santiago de Cuba, and westernmost province of Pinar del Rio and the Isle of Youth, evacuating tens of thousands of people from low lying areas. Category 5 hurricanes are rare but in 2005 four hurricanes reached that strength including Katrina triggering debate about the impact of global warming on tropical cyclones. (AlertNet)
Jamaica Braces For Dean Aug 20, 2007
The government of Mexico has issued a hurricane watch from Chetumal to San Felipe on the Yucatan Peninsula, and Cuba has issued a tropical storm watch for the provinces of Pinar Del Rio and La Habana. A hurricane warning is in effect for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti as well as for Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. (KWTX.com, TX)
Cattlemen seek more trade with Cuba Jul 29, 2007
So what are they doing riding with cowhands from Cuban cattle-raising regions Pinar del Rio and Camaguey. Why are they risking the wrath of conservative Cuban exiles who believe the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba should be gospel. (The Palm Beach Post)
* World News Quick Take Jul 2, 2007
Temprana was born in the Cuban province of Pinar del Rio on Sept. 26, 1901, he worked as a sponge diver and lobster fisherman. In 1964, he was imprisoned in Cuba for smuggling weapons from the US into the island for an insurrection against Cuban President Fidel Castro. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
WORLD & NATION BRIEFS Jul 1, 2007
"Satisfied, very happy. It was worth the wait." Temprana was born in the Cuban province of Pinar del Rio on Sept. 26, 1901. He had eight children with his first wife, who died giving birth to the youngest. (Newsday -- World)
A package of news briefs from the Caribbean May 17, 2007
Exact figures on the harvest in Pinar del Rio province were not given, but the Communist Party newspaper Granma put the year-to-year decline at 12 percent ... Pinar del Rio in westernmost Cuba is the island's top producer of premium cigar tobacco. (The Ledger)
The color and complexity of Cuba's cigars Apr 6, 2007
Despite this, cigars that come from fields like those in the western province of Pinar del Rio are among the most sought-after. The soil in the western part of the country is considered the best in the world for growing tobacco. (CNN -- International)
Commuting in Cuba Means Hitching a Ride Mar 19, 2007
"People will take you. You can always find drivers to help," said Garcia, who studies law in Havana and was going to see her parents in Pinar del Rio, a 90-minute ride west. A woman hitchhikes on 00004000 a highway outside of Havana, Cuba, Feb. 23, 2007. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Hitchhiking gets thumbs up in Cuba Mar 19, 2007
You can always find drivers to help,'' said Garc;a, who studies law in Havana and was going to see her parents in Pinar del Rio, a 90-minute ride west. Hitchhiking is a way of life in communist Cuba, where cars are scarce, a gallon of gas costs a third of a civil servant's monthly salary, and public transportation is unreliable and overcrowded. (The Miami Herald)
Cuba's world famous cigars likely to be only stars at annual festival Feb 28, 2007
Sun-drenched plantations outside Havana and in the neighboring western province of Pinar Del Rio have made Cuban cigars famous for centuries, and most cigars produced here are hand-rolled and intended for the premium market. Despite the U.S. trade embargo, Terres said Cuban cigars still account for as much as 35 percent of those sold worldwide. (North County Times)
Tiempo Libre has Grammy dreams Feb 10, 2007
Sax and flute man Luis Beltran Castillo started his music studies at age 11 in his hometown, Pinar del Rio, before moving to Havana and the ENA -- then toured with groups in Europe before getting to the United States. Drummer Hilario Bell and vocalist Joaquin Diaz, both from Santiago de Cuba, also had roundabout journeys to the United States. (CNN -- Showbiz)
VICKI HUDDLESTON: Post-Fidel Cuba Feb 6, 2007
Cubans from Santiago de Cuba in the East to Pinar del Rio in the West were beginning to believe that freedom was not a distant dream. They were learning firsthand about life in our country by listening to AM-FM shortwave radios and reading books handed out by an intrepid band of diplomats assigned to the U.S. Interests Section in Havana. (Washington Times)
Researchers help Cuban-Americans find their roots Jan 15, 2007
They settled in Pinar del Rio on the eastern end of Cuba. Zervoudakis' family fled Cuba when she was a child. (WSVN-TV Miami, FL)
