More than 66,000 people have been evacuated in Cuba’s easternmost province of Guantanamo due to heavy rains threatening a region already severely impacted by Hurricane Oscar, local television reported on Sunday.
The majority of the evacuees are from the municipalities of San Antonio del Sur and Imias, where historic flooding caused by Oscar resulted in eight fatalities just two weeks ago, according to the TV station.
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Cuba’s Meteorological Institute issued a warning on Sunday about “showers, rains and thunderstorms towards the eastern end” of the country. They are also monitoring an area of low pressure south of Jamaica. “We are constantly monitoring the meteorological situation over Cuba and its possible evolution,” wrote Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on X.
Damos seguimiento permanente a la situación meteorológica sobre #Cuba y su posible evolución. Hemos estado en comunicación con las provincias. Con tiempo se están tomando medidas. Insisto a las autoridades: permanente comunicación con nuestro pueblo, por todas las vías posibles.
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) November 3, 2024
Hurricane Oscar, which made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on October 20, left Guantanamo with saturated soils and full reservoirs, heightening the risk of flooding across several municipalities in the province.
Official reports indicate that over 12,000 homes, along with roads and nearly 20,000 hectares of crops—primarily coffee—were damaged by the storm.
Cuba is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis since the 1990s, characterized by shortages of medicines and fuel, frequent power outages, and an unprecedented wave of migration since the 1959 Castro revolution.
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