Related videos:
Around 650,000 people will be evacuated in Eastern Cuba due to the approach of Hurricane Melissa.
A total of 258,573 people from the province of Santiago de Cuba, about 69,000 from Holguín, 139,914 from Guantánamo, 72,000 from Las Tunas, and around 110,000 from Granma will need to leave their homes and seek refuge in friends' or relatives' houses or evacuation centers, the Presidency of Cuba reported in a thread on X.
The information was unveiled during the virtual session of the expanded National Defense Council chaired by leader Miguel Díaz-Canel.
The presidents of the provincial Defense Councils reported that "efforts are being made to protect people and vital resources, to prepare evacuation centers and food production facilities, as well as to ensure communication through various channels."
From Santiago de Cuba, authorities announced that emphasis has been placed on the municipality of Guamá, which was recently impacted by Storm Imelda, while monitoring the Protesta de Baraguá and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes reservoirs.
In Granma, the situation is complex with swollen rivers, reservoir spillovers, and coastal flooding due to the nighttime high tide in the Gulf of Guacanayabo, which prevents the natural drainage of water. As a result, 15% of the population will be evacuated, totaling 66,000 people in evacuation centers.
In Guantánamo, 30% of the population will be sheltered in 108 centers. Meanwhile, in Las Tunas, there are 133 evacuation centers, with most of those being sheltered staying in the homes of family and friends.
A little earlier, it had been reported that in the easternmost province, of the total number of evacuees, 108,000 will stay with family and friends.
According to the state-run press, there are 83 food preparation centers and 69 schools designated as evacuation centers in Guantánamo.
In Baracoa, specifically, 10,000 people will remain evacuated, as the recent rains have affected the mountain roads, sewage system, and the main bridge in the area.
Hurricane Melissa
Hurricane Melissa will continue to intensify throughout Monday and will hit eastern Cuba on Tuesday night.
According to the report from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) at two in the afternoon on Sunday, the eye of Hurricane Melissa was located near latitude 16.4 North, longitude 76.9 West.
The category 4 hurricane is moving west at about 5 mph (7 km/h). For the remainder of Sunday, a slow movement to the west is expected, followed by a turn to the north and northeast on Monday and Tuesday.
The center of Melissa will move near or over Jamaica on Tuesday and through southeastern Cuba on Tuesday night, then it will pass through the Bahamas on Wednesday.
It has maximum sustained winds of around 140 mph (220 km/h) with higher gusts.
The NHC predicts an additional intensification on Monday, followed by fluctuations in intensity.
"Melissa is expected to be a powerful major hurricane when it makes landfall in Jamaica on Monday night or Tuesday morning, and in southeastern Cuba by late Tuesday," the report states
Hurricane conditions are possible in the watch area in eastern Cuba from Tuesday through Wednesday, the information specifies.
Melissa has hurricane-force winds that extend outward up to 25 miles (35 km) from the center.
The hurricane will impact the eastern part of Cuba, with total rainfall accumulating between 10 to 15 inches, and local amounts reaching 20 inches, from Tuesday to Wednesday
Therefore, it could cause sudden flooding and numerous landslides.
Filed under: