The Cuba Night Satellite Photo Was Not Taken During Hurricane Ian
The Claim
A picture depicts a recent satellite image of Cuba at night during the Ian hurricane.
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Emerging story
Social media users and news websites have been circulating a purportedly recent satellite image of Cuba at night during Hurricane Ian.
According to users, the photo depicts a regional power outage in Cuba.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating claim and found it to be misleading.
The photo widely circulating among social media users predates Hurricane Ian.
2014 Cuba Satellite View
According to our investigation, the photo originally depicted a night satellite view of Cuba taken in 2014. In an article discussing the effects of an embargo and a centrally planned communist economy, Discover Magazine first published the photo on December 14, 2014.
According to the magazine, this photo was revealed on NASA's website.
However, Misbar was unable to locate it on NASA's official website but can confirm that the photo predated Hurricane Ian.
2022 Hurricane Ian
The misattributed photo went viral after Hurricane Ian devastated western Cuba on Tuesday, leaving 11 million people without electricity.
According to authorities, the massive storm claimed at least two lives on the island. Buildings and infrastructure in Pinar del Ro, where Ian made landfall, were severely damaged.
Following the hurricane, officials in Cuba's Pinar del Rio province ordered the evacuation of 50,000 people, constructed 55 shelters, and took measures to protect crops in the region's primary tobacco-growing region.
The hurricane's top sustained winds of 125 mph caused "significant wind and storm surge impacts" in Cuba, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (205 kmh).
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