The "New York Times" wrote that Cuba had "probably suffered the greatest material disaster in all its history". Thousands of peasants, or workers, lost their homes. The country's capital, Havana, also suffered bad damage. On the coast, many ships carrying valuable items sunk. The storm also badly damaged goods kept on wharves. Tall waves crashed on land and caused flooding. Many boats were wrecked by the storm. The high waves flooded about of Havana's coastal land.