More than 2,500 homes were damaged and more than 200 destroyed, officials said.

Sara is the 18th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and the third this month.

Less than two weeks ago, Hurricane Rafael caused a nationwide blackout when it hit Cuba.

Meteorologists say the storms have been fuelled by high sea surface temperatures.

While hurricanes and tropical storms occur naturally, human-caused climate change is supercharging them and exacerbating the risk of major damage,” Kevin Trenberth, a distinguished scholar at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, has warned.