Prison in Santiago de Cuba evacuated due to threat from Hurricane Melissa

The authorities ordered the evacuation of prisoners from the Aguadores Penitentiary due to the threat that Melissa poses to the province.

According to the official profiles of MININT, the inmates will be transferred to other penitentiary facilities in the municipality of Santiago with enhanced security measures until the event has passed, reported the Ministry of the Interior in the area.

The official notice emphasizes that the measure is being adopted "in the interest of greater protection for inmates" and as part of the primary role of Civil Defense, which includes ordering preventive evacuations and maintaining public calm through continuous information to citizens.

The communication mentions the possible passage of Hurricane Melissa through eastern Cuba and, in an operational manner, refers to the waiting period "until the tropical storm passes," alluding to the cyclonic system whose intensity is still under monitoring.

The temporary relocation of the Aguadores penal population aims to reduce vulnerabilities associated with winds, heavy rains, and damage to infrastructure that may occur with the deterioration over time, and it is part of the disaster reduction plans established for sensitive facilities.

According to the report, the priority is to ensure the safety of individuals and maintain order, with transfers to locations deemed safer within the municipality itself.

Melissa became a hurricane on Saturday afternoon. The Deputy Director of the National Hurricane Center (NHC) of the U.S. warned that the event, due to its current characteristics and extremely slow movement, represents a danger for the areas under the projected path—with an emphasis on Jamaica—and that the system could intensify rapidly in the coming hours. “The situation is becoming more serious,” he alerted.

According to the update, the slow movement will persist for three to four days, with a gradual turn to the west between today and tonight and a rapid intensification process that could lead to major hurricane status between today and tomorrow, before approaching Jamaica between Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Later, the NHC's projection places Melissa heading towards the western region of Cuba on Wednesday, and subsequently towards the Turks and Caicos or the southern Bahamas, still as a powerful hurricane.