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The municipality of Cueto, in the province of Holguín, is facing severe flooding and significant material losses following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, although local authorities reported that no injuries or fatalities have been recorded at this time.
According to the Municipal Defense Council of Cueto, as of 11:00 a.m. this Wednesday, there is no evidence of human victims.
“Any information will be provided to the public in a timely manner through official channels,” the authorities stated in a report published on Facebook by the official journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso.
Houses underwater and isolated communities
Images shared by reporter Miguel Reyes and dozens of internet users show flooded streets, submerged houses, and families evacuated due to the rapid rise of rivers and streams.
Although the eye of the cyclone has already moved away from the island, the rains continue to lash eastern Cuba, causing new floods and complicating rescue efforts in several rural areas.
"Many families have lost everything," lamented a local resident, sharing on social media the conditions of their home completely submerged in water.
Reports agree that the winds and, above all, the flooding have caused unprecedented devastation in Cueto, where residents are trying to salvage what little they have left amidst the mud and the remnants of their homes.
A critical humanitarian situation
The humanitarian dimension of the disaster remains concerning: extensive damage has been reported to homes, crops, power lines, and roads, exacerbating the living conditions of those who remain in the area.
"The city of Holguín was built between two rivers: the Jigüey and the Marañón. And since they do not carry out the necessary cleanings every time there is a weather event, it gets filled with water. We're flooded," recounted a resident.
The persistence of the rains keeps the risk of new floods and landslides high, while local teams face difficulties accessing the most affected neighborhoods.
Melissa walks away, but leaves devastation behind
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported at 11:00 a.m. that Melissa is located off the eastern coast of Cuba, now over the southwestern Atlantic, with a central pressure of 974 millibars and moving northeast at 22 km/h.
The hurricane continues to generate heavy rainfall and dangerous coastal waves over eastern Cuba. The core of the system will gradually move away from the island throughout the day, crossing the southeast or central Bahamas today and passing near or to the west of Bermuda late Thursday.
The NHC has issued hurricane warnings for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Holguín, and Las Tunas, as well as for the southeast and central Bahamas and Bermuda; and tropical storm warnings for Haiti, Camagüey, and the Turks and Caicos.
In eastern Cuba, heavy rainfall will continue with totals ranging from 10 to 20 inches, with local maxima of up to 25 inches in mountainous areas, potentially causing catastrophic flash floods and landslides.
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