Insmet forecasts that the storm will hit the eastern part of the island on Tuesday night.
Nearly 650,000 people in eastern Cuba must be prepared to evacuate or protect themselves from the upcoming impact of Hurricane Melissa -which this Monday rose to Category 5, the highest on the Saffir-scaleSimpson-, reported Miguel Díaz-Canel this Sunday after an expanded meeting of the National Defense Council. He stressed that “the main goal is to protect the population” and ordered “the evacuation of all people who are downstream from the dams, reservoirs and all flood zones.”
“We are working intensively for the rest of Sunday and Monday, ensuring peace of mind for the worst possible situation. This event will come at night or in the early hours, and what we don’t do now will be lost later,” he said. He also called for “special attention” to the most vulnerable population and to securing primary health services and the epidemiological surveillance system.
Díaz-Canel asked the population to maintain “constant communication” with neighbors, using “all possible ways, especially in the midst of the country’s electrical situation.” Many citizens live almost on the fringes of what is to come, going days without electricity, especially in the eastern zone where Melissa will land, which prevents them from watching television or having access to other sources of news.
Many citizens live almost on the fringes of what is to come, going days without electricity, especially in the eastern zone where Melissa will land, which prevents them from watching television or having access to other sources of news.
The Institute of Meteorology (Insmet) predicts that the hurricane will hit Cuban soil on Tuesday night and transit from south to north across the island for 12 hours, keeping the whole area on alert.
Since this Monday, classes have been suspended throughout the east, as announced in an official note by the Ministry of Education. The measure affects all types and levels of education, whereas in Ciego de Avila, Sancti Spíritus, Cienfuegos and Villa Clara, teaching activities are being gradually discontinued only in internal schools, while the other educational levels remain under observation.
In the west, from Matanzas to Pinar del Río, including Isla de la Juventud, classes will be held normally, although they could be canceled according to the evolution of the hurricane. The Ministry called on the population to maintain “prudence, solidarity and responsibility” in the care of children and teenagers.
In addition, as of yesterday, departures of major national trains and all local and interprovincial services from Las Tunas to Guantánamo were canceled,
In addition, since yesterday, the departures of the main national trains and all local and interprovincial services from Las Tunas to Guantánamo have been canceled, which implies the total disconnection of the eastern region by rail. As for road transport, since 1:00 pm on Monday they have not suspended national bus services, including those of Viazul, from and to the eastern provinces.
in the complete disconnection of rail services to the eastern region. Regarding road transport, as of 1:00 p.m. this Monday, all national bus services, including those operated by Viazul, to and from the eastern provinces are suspended.
Domestic and international flights to and from Santiago and Holguín scheduled for October 28 and 29 are canceled, as is the Batabanó maritime transport in Nueva Gerona and Cayo Largo del Sur.
The presidents of the provincial Defense Councils declared themselves to be on “alert” in a videoconference about their work to protect people and vital resources, the development of evacuation centers and food processing, as well as multi-channel communication. The fear, in the midst of a very precarious situation for Cuba, is enormous.
In the provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Las Tunas, protection is provided for 258,579 and 72,000 persons respectively. In addition, 110,000 residents will be evacuated in Granma, 69,000 in Holguín and 139,914 in Guantánamo. In total, about 7% of the Cuban population is on alert because of Melissa, according to official figures.
The director of Insmet, Celso Pazos, specified that Melissa is a hurricane of “great intensity,” accompanied by winds exceeding 124 mph and intense rains that represent one of the most “dangerous” factors of this system, which will generate floods upon its arrival on the southeastern coast of Cuba.
The accumulation of rain is estimated to be between 10 and 15 inches over 34 or 48 hours and will be higher in mountainous areas. Sea penetrations are also expected on the south coast, at its entrance, and in the north, at its exit, with coastal flooding.
General Ramón Pardo Guerra, head of the National Civil Defense Staff, reported that several hundred people, including tourists, will be evacuated due to the rains that are already occurring. “It is a situation that will continue to become more complex due to the saturation of soils,” he said.
The foreseeable threat of Melissa to Cuba has Imelda as its closest antecedent, the tropical storm that hit eastern Cuba at the end of last September with heavy rains. It left two dead, several thousand displaced, flooding, landslides, overflowing rivers and house collapses, among other damage.
In Granma province, Yudelkis Ortiz Barceló, first secretary of the provincial committee of the Communist Party, said the territory has been preparing for a week, with 98 critical areas identified and 224 evacuation centers prepared. Food processing sites have also been set up. The official said that sanitation and clearing, the pruning of branches and other cleaning activities have also been carried out.
Fifteen percent of the population in Granma is on alert, including 470 pregnant women who have been admitted to shelters because they live in vulnerable areas or are at some kind of risk. In addition, there are 116 families being protected, and yesterday, Sunday, most of the evacuations began and were carried out with “rigor and discipline,” according to Ortiz.
In addition, there are 116 protected families, and yesterday, Sunday, most of the evacuations began and were carried out with “rigor and discipline,” according to Ortiz
Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, the party’s first secretary in Santiago de Cuba, used the same words. There, nine municipal defense councils and the 126 area-level defense councils have been activated. Twenty-five percent (258,573 people) are in protection plans while the water in the most important reservoirs has been released. The official said that special attention is being paid to the coffee harvest, “since there is enough ripe coffee for 49,000 cans.”
In Holguín, there are plans to evacuate 305,530 people to the 151 available centers. Joel Queipo Ruiz, first secretary of the provincial committee of the Party, said that they are “preparing for the worst scenario, so that nothing surprises us.”
Meanwhile, Yoel Pérez, his counterpart in Guantánamo, said that 30% of the population, some 140,000 people, are on alert, and 108 centers are available. Las Tunas has 113 shelters for the 72,000 people whose evacuation is planned, said Osbel Lorenzo Rodríguez, first secretary of the provincial committee.
Cuban meteorologists have warned that the current hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, which runs from June 1 to November 30, will be “very active, “with the possible formation of eight hurricanes.
According to their forecasts, the probability that at least one hurricane will originate and intensify in the Caribbean is high (75%), while it is 50% for one from the Atlantic to penetrate the Caribbean Sea and affect Cuba.
In the 2024 season, two hurricanes hit the island. The first was Oscar, a category 1, which struck the east of Cuba. A month later came Rafael, category 3, which punished the west and caused the total collapse of the national electrical system.
In its passage through Haiti, Melissa remains a threat and has left three dead and 16 wounded, as well as 10 houses damaged and 450 flooded
In its passage through Haiti, Melissa remains a threat and has left three dead and 16 wounded, as well as 10 houses damaged and 450 flooded, according to the latest assessment of the Directorate of Civil Protection. “Given the amount of rain falling, there are risks of flooding and landslides, as the soil is saturated with water,” said the authorities.
For his part, the president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, called this Sunday to move towards “normality” after several days with most of the provinces on red alert and the working day suspended.
The Dominican Emergency Operations Center (COE) yesterday decided to reduce the alert level for four provinces in the southwest of the country, while 13 others are on yellow and the same amount are on green.
So far, Melissa has caused one death and flooding in Dominican territory, and the COE indicated that there are “735 damaged houses, 3,765 displaced persons, four active shelters, with 77 people housed and 48 communities incommunicado.”
The forecast is that Melissa will hit Jamaica as a hurricane on Monday and Cuba on Tuesday or Wednesday, in addition to causing rain in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where one million people were left without water.
The National Hurricane Center warns the people of Jamaica not to leave shelter, since there is a high risk of flash floods and catastrophic landslides up to Tuesday morning.
In addition, it reminds people that destructive winds, especially in mountainous areas, will begin tonight and could cause serious damage to infrastructure, power outages and long-term communications, leaving communities isolated.
Translated by Regina Anavy