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While the hurricane Melissa moves with winds of nearly 300 km/h towards the Eastern Caribbean, an architect from Guantánamo has caught the attention of thousands of Cubans with a warning that is as technical as it is chilling: “Do not underestimate the strength of the wind; it could cost you your life.”
The text was published this Monday on Facebook by user Claudia Rafaela Ortiz Alba, who explained that the message was written by her sister, an architect from Guantánamo with extensive experience in the field during natural disasters.
The professional does not use social media, but she wanted her guide to reach the families in the eastern part of the country, the most vulnerable to the impact of Hurricane Melissa.
The message begins with a clear warning: a cyclone of the magnitude of Melissa, with winds of nearly 300 kilometers per hour, can destroy even reinforced concrete houses.
The architect offers a practical assessment so that individuals can determine whether their homes are safe or if they need to evacuate immediately.
Wooden houses or those with lightweight roofs cannot withstand. A gust of a category four hurricane can lift objects weighing over a ton. If you live in such a house, evacuate. Staying inside is suicidal,” he wrote.
The specialist also details that masonry houses with lightweight roofs carry nearly the same risk.
Although its walls are made of concrete, it warns that cracks, cracked or leaning walls, and aging structures can collapse under the pressure of the wind.
"In Cuba, construction is increasingly lacking in quality. Today, it is done very poorly, and that increases the danger," she lamented.
In the case of concrete houses with heavy roofs, the architect recommends a thorough inspection of the structure, ensuring that there is no rusted steel or damaged slabs.
"If your house is structurally sound, focus on your doors and windows. They are the weak points. Reinforce them with bars or boards. Don't underestimate the wind," he warned.
But even those solid houses are not safe if they are near the sea. "Evacuate if you are less than 200 meters from the coast. A wave can tear a whole concrete slab away. I saw it with my own eyes during Hurricane Ike in 2008," he recalled.
The architect also provided specific recommendations for those living in multifamily buildings or constructions made with prefabricated systems, such as GPS, E-14, or IMS, which are common in the eastern part of the country.
In these cases, he emphasized reinforcing windows and avoiding upper floors during the impact: “The higher you are, the greater the danger. If you lose a window, take refuge behind the wall, close to the floor, protecting your head and abdomen,” he stated.
Your guide concludes with a list of basic actions: reinforce windows with adhesive tape, cover them from the outside with boards or sheets of zinc, and secure doors and balconies.
"The wind does not forgive. A well-structured current can turn any object into a deadly projectile," he warned.
Beyond the technical language, the message stands out for its human tone: “Take care of yourself and take care of your loved ones,” the architect wrote at the end, a gesture that has touched thousands of users who share her post as if it were an urgent manual for survival.
Hurricane Melissa, moving as a category 5 storm over the Caribbean and threatening the eastern region of Cuba, has put authorities and the population on high alert.
In a context of economic crisis and material shortages, this architect's recommendations become vital for a country facing yet another natural challenge with limited resources, but with the same determination to endure.
In this regard, the regime announced that around 650,000 people would be evacuated in Eastern Cuba due to the proximity of Hurricane Melissa.
A total of 258,573 people from the province of Santiago de Cuba, around 69,000 from Holguín, 139,914 from Guantánamo, 72,000 from Las Tunas, and about 110,000 from Granma will have to leave their homes and seek shelter in the homes of friends or family, or in evacuation centers, reported the Presidency of Cuba.
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