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Hurricane Paloma destroyed more than 400 homes in Santa Cruz del Sur and hundreds others in other localities of southern Camagüey and Las Tunas provinces in Central-Eastern Cuba, around 600 kilometers east of Havana. The hurricane entered the island by its southern coast on Saturday evening with winds of more than 120 MPH and a sea surge that reached a mile inland. The storm petered out over land on Sunday.

Hurricane Paloma is now history and the most affected areas of Central-Eastern Cuba are now in what Civil Defense authorities call the “recovery phase.” The rest of the country that was on alert has returned to “normality.”

Hurricane Paloma weakened considerably inside Cuban territory early Sunday and is no longer a cyclone. Assessment now begins of the damage caused to homes, power lines and other infrastructure mainly in Camaguey and neighboring Las Tunas province.

Hurricanes are pretty frightening during the daytime, but are considerably more so at night. It was dark when Hurricane Paloma struck Cuban soil at 7:27 p.m. on Saturday and the damage being caused by its winds and rain continues on into the wee hours.

Hurricane Paloma is now poised to strike Cuban territory by 8:00 p.m. (EST). At 6:00 p.m. the eye of the storm was located 15 miles west of Santa Cruz del Sur and 60 miles west-southwest of the city of Camaguey.

It’s no longer a question of whether Hurricane Paloma is going to smash into Central Cuba; it’s just a matter of hours. Cuba’s top weather expert, Jose Rubiera, said at 4:00 p.m. (EST) that the Category 4 hurricane is now expected to hit land on the south coast of Camaguey province in the early evening.

Hurricane Paloma, a Category 4 storm, with winds now reaching 140 MPH (225 KPH), is expected to touch down in Central or Eastern Cuba within 12 hours. Two months after hurricanes Gustav and Ike battered much of the island, Cuba is once again in the eye of the storm.

Hurricane Paloma strengthens in the western Caribbean and is expected to hit Central and possibly Eastern Cuba by Sunday. The storm packs winds of 80 MPH (130 KPH). A hurricane watch is now in effect throughout Cuba. Hurricanes Gustav and Ike battered the archipelago during the period of August 31-September 10, leaving monumental damage to agriculture, housing and other infrastructure.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, congratulated Barack Obama on winning the US presidential elections on Wednesday and requested that he lift the nearly half century blockade on Cuba when he takes office in January. “There is no human explanation” to maintain the blockade, Lula told the press in Brasilia.

Tropical Storm Paloma is on a course that could reach Cuba by early next week. The storm was located this morning at 115 kilometers east-northeast of Cabo Gracias a Dios on the border of Nicaragua and Honduras and 720 kilometers from the south coast of Cuba.