Very Preliminary Report on Damage in Cuba from Melissa
Concerns over the overflowing tributaries of the Sagua River in Holguín, whose previous flooding had already claimed two lives.
HAVANA TIMES – Santiago de Cuba became on Wednesday the entry point for Melissa, described by some meteorologists as “the hurricane of the century,” and the population remains on edge. At this hour, special concern centers on Jiguaní, in Granma Province, which was flooded when the local river overflowed.
Five hours after the storm made landfall near Chivirico, just a few kilometers from the provincial capital, Civil Defense began assessing the damage. Among the most serious issues are 241 communities cut off from communication, home to more than 140,000 people. According to official data, nearly 3.5 million people are without electricity.
The most worrisome areas are Segundo Frente, Songo-La Maya, and Tercer Frente, where river levels rose suddenly, blocking transportation and communication routes. In Contramaestre, where strong winds were reported, numerous roads are also blocked, as well as the communities of Guaninao and Ruta Martiana.
Around 284,000 people “were protected” across the province, especially in Aserradero and Guamá, where maximum winds reached 205 kilometers per hour, with even stronger gusts. Waves more than four meters high terrified residents. Desperation spread among relatives of those living in Chivirico, who have been calling endlessly to phone numbers that give no signal. “It’s unbearable not knowing about our families,” wrote one user in a Facebook buy-and-sell group — social networks were heavily used throughout the day to ask for or share any news, or even to offer each other the use of landline phones while they still worked.
Winds and rains in Santiago “covered the entire territory,” said the head of Civil Defense. The eye of the storm crossed small towns in Palma Soriano, heading toward Mangos de Baraguá, through which it entered Holguín. Winds tore off roofs and brought down electrical and telephone lines, though infrastructure damage will take longer to assess.
In Holguín, it’s still too early to begin tallying damage, since the hurricane has not yet left the province—or the island—but winds have been fierce around Mayarí and the waters keep rising. After days of swelling in the Sagua River in Sagua de Tánamo—which left two dead—the river was already near overflowing, and its tributaries now appear to have burst their banks. Reports speak of rainfall “exceeding historic records,” and it has yet to stop raining.
Information has been scarce from Guantánamo, where winds have hovered around 110 kilometers per hour and residents have described disastrous scenes. “Even the water tanks are rolling down my block. I think Guantánamo is falling apart,” said one. “Strong, sustained winds and monstrous gusts, many roofs flying everywhere,” said another. “It feels like we’re on the beach with the waves pounding. I’ve never felt anything like this — outside, the world is ending,” reported another resident. Some expressed frustration at the lack of attention given to the province in the morning news broadcasts.
Yudelkis Ortiz Barceló, president of Granma’s Provincial Defense Council, reported that reservoirs were overflowing as they continued to accumulate water. By 7 a.m. no major flooding had been confirmed, but the situation remained extremely tense. “We ask the population once again not to panic, to stay safely sheltered. Only by protecting our lives will we be able to move forward, to rise from this situation. Strength, Granma,” she said before dawn.
The first reports from Governor Yanetsy Terry Gutierrez show extensive damage to both homes and public and private institutions in Jiguaní, due to the overflowing river that swept away everything in its path. Collapsed buildings, blocked mountain roads, and lost roofs are common across both rural and urban areas as rains continue.
Meanwhile, in Camagüey, the day was less alarming than expected, according to 14ymedio sources. “It hasn’t rained here, no wind or anything. Just a few drops all night. Sometimes you hear a little breeze that’s hardly wind. The power came back for an hour at 12:30 a.m. after being out since 10 a.m. We charged everything, filled the tank, and made today’s rice. Then it came back again at 5 a.m., and by 7:30 it was gone. For now, we’re better off than we expected,” they told the outlet.
So far, rainfall accumulations of up to 150 millimeters (liters per square meter) have been recorded, though the Institute of Meteorology (Insmet) has warned that in mountainous areas they could reach 450 millimeters. Maximum recorded winds have hit 187 kilometers per hour, though in most affected cities they range between 70 and 119 kilometers per hour, with stronger gusts.
Strong storm surges, with waves up to eight meters high and “moderate to severe flooding in low-lying coastal areas,” are expected to persist for several more hours.
Official media reported that UNICEF has begun distributing humanitarian aid to those in shelters. The initial goal is to reach 21,000 children and 6,000 adults in protection centers with hygiene kits to prevent disease, portable water treatment systems and tanks, waterproof tarps and roofing for temporary shelters, and play kits for children.
“It’s been a very difficult night. Enormous damage, and Hurricane Melissa is still over Cuban territory,” wrote Miguel Díaz-Canel on social media this morning, urging the population not to let their guard down.
“We prepared for the worst-case scenario, and the measures have been effective,” he said after a videoconference with Communist Party officials assessing the preliminary damage.
First published in Spanish by 14ymedio and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.