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Classes were suspended in Guantánamo next week due to the approaching hurricane Melissa.
“Guantánamo Education informs Guantanamo families that due to the approach of Hurricane Melissa, teaching activities will be suspended during the upcoming week,” reads a post from the local newspaper Venceremos.
Hurricane Melissa
The hurricane Melissa continues to gain strength in the Caribbean and now has sustained maximum winds of 150 kilometers per hour, according to the latest report from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) of the United States.
The agency warned this Saturday that the system "is beginning a process of rapid intensification" and could become a major category hurricane in the coming hours, as it dangerously approaches Jamaica and eastern Cuba.
The NHC located the center of the cyclone at 16.6 degrees north and 75.5 degrees west, about 210 kilometers southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and 405 kilometers southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, moving slowly to the west at 6 km/h.
The Cuban authorities issued a hurricane alert for the provinces from Camagüey to Guantánamo, due to the possibility that the system will directly affect that region in the middle of next week.
The report warns that Melissa could bring between 150 and 300 millimeters of rain to eastern Cuba, with localized amounts of up to 450 millimeters, which would cause flash flooding and landslides.
The southern coastline is also expected to experience strong waves and a possible storm surge, posing a risk of sea inundation in low-lying areas.
Meanwhile, Jamaica and southern Haiti are preparing for the direct impact of the hurricane, which is already causing heavy rains and flooding in several areas, according to reports from regional media. In the Dominican Republic, the outer bands of the system have caused flooding and power outages in communities in the southwest.
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