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Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel assured this Saturday that the regime's authorities remain "in constant contact" with the provincial leaders of the Communist Party in areas that may be directly impacted by Hurricane Melissa, which has already reached category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
"We are in constant contact with the first secretaries of the Party in the provinces that will be impacted by Melissa. We are working hard. We must prepare for even the smallest details; and then, immediately, we will focus on recovery. Together, we will overcome this," wrote Díaz-Canel on X.
His forecast of "overcoming with unity" was met with skepticism by many Cubans, given the critical state of the country's infrastructure and the precarious conditions faced by millions of families before the arrival of the powerful cyclone.
A dangerous hurricane is headed towards the east of Cuba
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) of the United States, based in Miami, warns that Hurricane Melissa is registering maximum sustained winds of 220 kilometers per hour (140 mph), making it an extremely dangerous phenomenon.
The center of the hurricane was located on Sunday at 5:00 am, at latitude 16.3 North and longitude 76.3 West, about 195 kilometers southeast of Kingston (Jamaica) and 450 kilometers southwest of Guantánamo, moving slowly westward at 7 km/h.
The forecast indicates that Melissa will turn north and northeast between Monday and Tuesday, which means its center could impact Jamaica between those days and then directly affect eastern Cuba between Tuesday night and early Wednesday, maintaining a high intensity.
Cuba, vulnerable before the impact
Even before Melissa's arrival, the situation in Cuba was already extremely critical. Several provinces in eastern Cuba are reporting deteriorated housing, a lack of stored food, shortages of drinking water, and prolonged power outages, worsening the outlook ahead of the cyclone's imminent arrival.
On social media, users have warned that families in eastern Cuba "are neither prepared nor organized" to face the hurricane, especially after enduring hours without electricity or communication.
Since Friday, flooding has been reported in low-lying and coastal areas of the country, increasing fears that the impact of Melissa could have devastating consequences.
While Díaz-Canel insists that "unity" will help overcome the new natural challenge, many Cubans believe that his message is rhetorical and empty, in a context where the state does not guarantee basic resources or adequate infrastructure to withstand a hurricane of great intensity.
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