Guantanamo.- Faced with forecasts indicating Hurricane Melissa will cross the eastern region as a major hurricane between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, the paramount objective is the protection of the population, stated Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic, during an expanded meeting of the National Defense Council (CDN).
The meeting was held via videoconference with authorities from the provinces of Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Holguín, Las Tunas, and Camagüey, which are in the Alert Phase, and Ciego de Ávila and Sancti Spíritus, which are in the Informative Phase.
The exchange was also led by Political Bureau members Roberto Morales Ojeda, Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee; Army Corps General Álvaro López Miera, Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces; and Army Corps General Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, Minister of the Interior.
Emphasizing the priority of ensuring the protection of the population, the Cuban President directed the proper evacuation of people living in flood zones, areas downstream from dams, and other at-risk locations. He stressed the need to make the most of the remaining hours before the impact of this extreme hydrometeorological event, stating, “Everything must be done in a timely manner.”
Beyond a set of general guidelines established for this type of contingency, Díaz-Canel insisted on the necessity to protect elderly individuals living alone and other vulnerable persons; people’s property, including their pets; and to maintain constant public information to raise risk awareness and prevent reckless actions, which can often cost lives.
The Head of State underscored the need to protect material resources with measures at every workplace; safeguarding livestock in elevated areas; harvesting agricultural products; and securing vessels in protected areas, among other measures. He highlighted the priority of food preparation centers and evacuation shelters.
He instructed that the forces and resources to be used in the recovery phase be kept on standby, along with the organization of administrative offices. He indicated that after the event passes, the priorities will include restoring electrical service, ensuring water supply, and implementing sanitation and hygiene measures.
AN UNAVOIDABLE HURRICANE
At the start of the expanded CDN meeting, Dr. Celso Pazos Alberdi, Director General of the Institute of Meteorology, explained that as of Sunday morning, forecast models predicted Melissa would make landfall in Cuba on Tuesday evening as a major hurricane, somewhere between Granma and Santiago de Cuba provinces, possibly near Guantánamo. It is expected to exit approximately 12 hours later on Wednesday, along the northern coast between Holguín and Guantánamo provinces.
Rainfall is among the most significant impacts of the event; accumulations of 200 to 400 millimeters are estimated over 34 to 48 hours, with higher amounts in mountainous regions. Storm surge is forecast for the southern coast upon its entry and for the northern coast upon its exit, leading to coastal flooding.
Army General Ramón Pardo Guerra, Head of the National Civil Defense Staff, stated that the establishment of the different phases for this event had been carried out opportunely, according to protocol. He reported on the evacuation of several hundred people, including tourists, in Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, and Holguín, due to the threat of flooding from ongoing rains in the eastern region. He explained that this situation will continue to become more complex due to soil saturation.
GRANMA: PREPARED AND READY
From Granma, Yudelkis Ortiz Barceló, the province’s First Secretary of the Party, reported that the territory has been preparing for the effects of Hurricane Melissa since October 22, when an early warning was issued. She stated that since then, they have been fine-tuning measures for the protection of the population, resources, and the assurance of vital services, while also conducting visits to the municipalities.
Special attention, she said, is being given to the 98 geographic areas identified as critical zones, where work has been carried out according to established measures for each stage. Evacuation centers and food preparation points have been prepared, and sanitation work, cleaning of drains, debris removal, pruning, and other cleaning actions have been undertaken.
Ortiz Barceló explained that in the province, approximately 110,000 people, representing 15 percent of Granma’s population, must be protected, both in evacuation centers and in the homes of family and friends; the territory has 224 protection centers. As of Sunday morning, 470 pregnant women living in vulnerable geographic zones or with some form of risk had been admitted to safer locations. Approximately 116 families had been secured, with the bulk of evacuations planned to begin that Sunday.
IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA, RIGOR AND DISCIPLINE
In Santiago de Cuba, the province’s First Secretary, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, highlighted the rigor and discipline that has prevailed there, where its nine municipal defense councils and 126 zone-level defense councils are activated. In recent days, the territory’s main leaders have been touring the municipalities, especially those recently affected by the rains from the hydrometeorological event that became Tropical Storm Imelda.
She explained that plans in Santiago de Cuba provide for the protection of 258,573 people—approximately 25 percent of the local population—from threats posed by Melissa, such as intense rains, sustained winds, and flooding. Regarding dams, she reported that the most important ones in the province are already spilling over or are ready to do so.
THE ENTIRE EASTERN REGION ON ALERT
In Holguín, Civil Defense plans call for the evacuation of 305,530 people, for which 151 centers are available. Joel Queipo Ruiz, the province’s First Party Secretary, reported on the work of defense councils at different levels, where the prevailing approach has been to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
Similar concepts are being followed in Guantánamo. Yoel Pérez García, the province’s First Secretary, reported that the evacuation of 30 percent of the population, nearly 140,000 people, is planned, for which they have 108 protection centers.
In Las Tunas, explained Osbel Lorenzo Rodríguez, the province’s First Party Secretary, the evacuation of approximately 72,000 people is planned, for which 113 protection centers are available, although, as is the case across the country, some 48,379 residents would be hosted in the homes of family and friends if evacuated.
In the concluding remarks of the meeting, the First Secretary of the Central Committee and President of the Republic stated that in the face of the threat from Melissa, the provinces have worked with responsibility and knowledge. Díaz-Canel called for this to continue, assuring that “with the participation of our people, we will overcome this situation and we will do so victoriously.”
