Cuba was left reeling Thursday after a fierce Category 3 hurricane ripped across the island and knocked out the country’s power grid. (AP Video: Ariel Fernandez)

Cuba is working to recover after Hurricane Rafael hit the island on Wednesday.   The National Hurricane Center said at 4:15 p.m. ET the storm struck the Cuban province of Artemisa just east of Playa Majana.

Hurricane Rafael is swirling over the Gulf of Mexico where it’s expected to break apart after plowing through Cuba, knocking out the country’s power grid and collapsing hundreds of homes.