The intense rains in recent days have caused several rivers in Guantánamo to swell, leading to floods affecting communities such as Hatibonico, Caimanera, and San Antonio del Sur, where water accumulations of up to 657 millimeters have been recorded in just 72 hours, according to a report by Emisora Radio Bahía.
In Hatibonico, residents remember that more than 15 years ago, the stream in the Los Mangos neighborhood was dry, but recent rains have overflowed it, forcing several families to evacuate.
Although some of them returned to their homes, the situation remains critical, further exacerbated by a power outage that has lasted over 72 hours, reported the community delegate, Roilán Basulto Nolazco, as cited by the local media.
The images shared by Telecentro Solvisión show streets in San Antonio del Sur completely flooded, with water reaching homes, businesses, and public centers. Residents have had to move to higher ground while rescue teams work on-site.
For its part, the Venceremos Newspaper reported that the municipality of Imías remains cut off due to the rising waters of the Sabanalamar River and that rescue and recovery teams have been activated in San Antonio del Sur.
In just three hours, 120 millimeters of rain were recorded there. "Taking extreme measures is the least we can do to reduce the risk," the official newspaper warned.
This situation comes just hours after the report of a partial collapse at the Wilfredo Gonce Cabrera Educational Center in Caimanera, where fortunately there were no injuries. This event highlights the deterioration of school infrastructure in Cuba and the vulnerability of entire communities to increasingly extreme weather phenomena.
The rains in Guantánamo are part of the instability caused by the tropical storm Imelda, which, according to the Cuban Meteorological Institute (INSMET), will continue to cause heavy rainfall in the eastern region.
Meanwhile, entire families remain on edge amid the uncertainty of how much more the rivers will rise and how far the water will reach, in a territory where preserving life has become the top priority.
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