Earthquakes off Cuba’s coast damage homes, trigger landslides as country cleans up from Hurricane Rafael

HAVANA, Cuba – Two strong earthquakes struck off Cuba’s coast Sunday, damaging homes and infrastructure and triggering landslides just as the country was in the middle of cleanup efforts following the landfall of major Hurricane Rafael last week.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the two earthquakes were reported within an hour of each other. The first was a magnitude 5.9 that was reported just before 11 a.m. ET approximately 22 miles south of Bartolomé Masó, Cuba, at a depth of about 9 miles.

The second earthquake, which was the strongest of the two, was reported an hour later, just before noon ET. That earthquake was a magnitude 6.8 and was centered about 25 miles south of Bartolomé Masó at a depth of about 8 miles.

The strong earthquake comes days after Hurricane Rafael made landfall along western Cuba as a powerful Category 3 cyclone, causing widespread power blackouts across the island. Rafael was the second hurricane to hit the island in a month. In October, Hurricane Oscar claimed at least six lives after making landfall in Cuba.

In a post on X, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said there were landslides and damage to homes, institutions and power lines in the Cuban province of Granma. At the time of that post, there were no reports of injuries or deaths in that area.

Shortly after the second earthquake was reported, the National Weather Service Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Honolulu issued an alert stating that while there was no significant threat of a tsunami, "there is a very small possibility of tsunami waves along coasts nearest to the epicenter."

The NWS National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, said there was no tsunami danger for the U.S. East Coast, the Gulf of Mexico or the eastern coast of Canada. The PTWC said that would be its only notification, and national authorities will determine the appropriate level of alerts for each country and may issue additional or more refined information.

According to reports on the USGS website, people in Florida from Miami through Hollywood and Boca Raton, and even as far north as Orlando, reported feeling the ground shake.

However, the City of Miami posted a statement to Facebook that said the effects of the earthquake were not reported in Florida, despite those reports on the USGS website.

"The City of Miami is aware that some residents in the Brickell/Downtown area may be concerned about the recent earthquake off the coast of Cuba, but we want to reassure everyone that no earthquake or aftershocks are being felt in Miami," the city said in the statement.

Officials said that the fire department received calls from concerned residents, but "we want to emphasize that there is no cause for alarm."