Hurricane Matthew has destroyed dozens of homes in Cuba's easternmost city, Baracoa, and left hundreds of others damaged. But there are no immediate reports of deaths or large-scale devastation as the storm moves away toward the Bahamas on Wednesday.
Cuban police and soldiers have organized people in Baracoa into informal recovery brigades that have began clearing streets and hauling away debris the morning after Hurricane Matthew drove across the island.
One street three blocks from the water's edge is blocked by a shipping container hurled there by a massive wave.
Cuban authorities say they moved 35,000 residents of homes close to the water further inland to higher ground before the storm, housing them with relatives or in state-run shelters in the city of 200,000.
State media say roads to Baracoa have been blocked by the storm, leaving the city temporarily cut off from the surrounding province.
Residents evaluating damage after sunrise say they saw some neighbors flee homes with minor injuries as the coastal city was pummeled by the storm overnight.
"It was a disaster, everything was a disaster. There is nothing left here, this was like never seen before, worse than Floyd and Linda (other past hurricanes)," said displaced Baracoa resident Yuliana Cala in Spanish.
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The worst damage appears limited to the mostly one-story homes close to the water's edge. Many larger buildings remain standing despite flooding and damage to their roofs, many of which were stripped of ceramic tiles by the storm.
Elva Perez says the roof of her Baracoa home was destroyed.
"Never in my life had this happened, because this house is over 200-years-old," Perez said. "This had never happened before."
Cuban authorities say they moved 35,000 residents of homes close to the water further inland to higher ground before the storm, housing them with relatives or in state-run shelters in the city of 200,000. State media say roads to Baracoa have been blocked by the storm, leaving the city temporarily cut off from the surrounding province.
As Matthew moves toward the Bahamas, residents are cleaning up.
"Always, there is always hope, this happened once further away and we were able to recover," said Yoan Lavanino, a resident of Baracoa. "Now let's see, why not? We must always have hope facing anything. If Santiago recovered, Baracoa will also recover."
There are also efforts to restore communication lines with the beach town of Chivrico. Santiago de Cuba, the second largest city, in the southeast of Cuba was not badly hit, according to state media.
