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El Estado Mayor Nacional de la Defensa Civil declaró este lunes la Fase de Alarma Ciclónica para las provincias de Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Granma, Las Tunas y Camagüey, ante el inminente acercamiento del huracán Melissa, that reached category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
According to Informational Note No. 3, published by the Civil Defense on its official profile, the hurricane has continued to increase in intensity, with sustained maximum winds of 260 kilometers per hour and higher gusts, while its central pressure dropped to 917 hectopascals.
Melissa is currently moving westward at a speed of six kilometers per hour, and in the next 24 hours, it is expected to turn north and northeast, traversing the waters of Jamaica and approaching Cuban territory from the south of the eastern region.
The organization warned that weather conditions will progressively deteriorate in the eastern provinces starting Monday night and urged the public to stay informed through official channels and to diligently follow the local authorities' instructions.
Similarly, the Civil Defense indicated that the provinces of Ciego de Ávila and Sancti Spíritus are entering the Cyclonic Alert Phase, while Cienfuegos, Villa Clara, Matanzas, Mayabeque, Havana, Artemisa, Pinar del Río, and the Special Municipality of Isla de la Juventud must activate their defense councils in a reduced composition.
The Meteorological Institute and the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources are closely monitoring the powerful hurricane, which could become one of the most intense to impact the Caribbean in recent years.
For his part, the Minister of Energy and Mines of Cuba, Vicente de la O Levy, assured this Monday that the lineman brigades are already prepared to take on the task of restoring the electrical system in the eastern region of the country following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
The powerful cyclone has caused heavy rain and flash floods in Eastern Cuba, where authorities have warned about the danger of landslides, storm surges, and strong winds.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in the United States, rainfall in eastern Cuba could become "potentially catastrophic" starting this Monday, with accumulations exceeding 300 millimeters and wind gusts that pose a threat to life.
The First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba in Santiago de Cuba and President of the Provincial Defense Council, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, issued a warning message regarding the imminent danger of Hurricane Melissa, which threatens to have a devastating impact on the eastern part of the country.
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