Tornado hits Baracoa Beach in Artemisa

A possible tornado O waterspout hit this Thursday coastal town of Playa Baracoa, in the province of Artemisa, causing damage to houses in the town, according to preliminary reports.

Residents in the town belonging to the municipality of Bauta reported on social networks that The natural phenomenon occurred around 3 p.m.

In several areas of the town, especially in La Loma, there were Severe damage, mainly on roofs, doors and windows of homes and other buildings, and water tanks that flew from the roofs, according to the inhabitants of Playa Baracoa.

“Tornado or waterspout. Numerous damages. Especially on roofs, windows and doors. Many tanks were blown off the roofs. In the La Loma area there is more destruction,” he stated. Dayan Rodriguez, resident in Bauta.

Journalist Alberto Arego He reported on social networks some of the incidents that residents in that town told him about.

“Everyone screaming from the houses,” said a neighbor. “Here in Los Cocos he knocked down many trees and some zinc gates, but the big disaster is in La Loma,” an area near the local airport.

Another neighbor told the journalist: “Today a tornado occurred around 3:50 in the afternoon in Playa Baracoa. It ended in La Loma de Carucho. This event was very serious, my family was affected. All the way up La Loma the houses are in disarray. This was a horror, there are many children outside because the tornado knocked down their houses”.

The page MeteoAlerta reported: “Unconfirmed reports have been received of a alleged waterspout that entered land in Baracoa Beach (Artemisa). "A similar situation could be occurring on the northern coast of Matanzas, near its bay, where the Key West radar detects a certain rotation."

Images uploaded to the Facebook group Meteorology of the Republic of Cuba They give an account of the damage left by the tornado or waterspout after passing through Playa Baracoa.

Until the time of publishing this note, the authorities have not confirmed the occurrence of the phenomenon in the coastal town in the western region of the country.

Last July a tornado caused extensive and severe damage in various areas of the city of Holguín, due to the intensity of the winds.

The inhabitants of the El Gabriel town, in the Güira de Melena municipality, in Artemisa, witnessed the formation of a tornado last May, caused by a severe local storm, but no human or material damage was reported due to the phenomenon.

In April, a similar event destroyed several homes in San Pedro, a town in Trinidad, in the province of Sancti Spíritus