Residents of the Ojeda neighborhood in Bayamo (Granma) had to carry the coffin of a deceased elderly man by foot because the hearse did not arrive and the water inside the deceased's home reached nearly 1.80 meters.
In one of the most dramatic episodes left by the flooding associated with Hurricane Melissa in eastern Cuba, the body of the elderly man had to be transported by his fellow citizens, as reported by the internet user Hermes Yasell-CubaFace.
The man, whose identity has not been revealed, is believed to have died from one of the arboviruses circulating in Cuba.
The first images released from the capital of Granma showed streets turned into rivers, uprooted trees, and gusts of wind that complicated emergency transportation.
Videos published by official profiles documented tilted electric poles, flooded avenues in front of public buildings, and residential neighborhoods underwater, a situation that explains the impossibility of funeral services in the case of Reparto Ojeda.
According to local reports, the heaviest rainfall in the province of Granma was concentrated in the municipalities of Jiguaní (159 mm), Guisa (123 mm), Bayamo (117 mm), Media Luna (112 mm), and Cauto Cristo (107 mm).
Three reservoirs — Paso Malo (Bartolomé Masó), Corojo (Guisa), and Derivadora Vicana (Media Luna) — were releasing water, increasing the risk of further flooding and complicating the response to the emergencies caused by the floods.
In parallel, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Melissa, as of 2:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, October 29, had sustained maximum winds of 100 mph (155 km/h), moving northeast at 15 mph (24 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 974 mb.
Hurricane warnings remained in effect for the southeast and central Bahamas, Bermuda, and the Cuban provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Holguín, and Las Tunas; additionally, tropical storm warnings were in effect for Haiti, Camagüey (Cuba), and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The NHC warned of rainfall of 10–20 inches—with peaks of 25 inches over mountainous areas—in eastern Cuba and a dangerous storm surge in the southeast Bahamas.
The conditions on land resulted in critical episodes such as the shoulder-carrying of the coffin in Bayamo, but also in partial collapses, service interruptions, and hazards on the roads due to fallen cables and debris carried by the current.
Even though forecasts indicated a faster movement of Melissa toward the northeast, the lingering humidity continued to fuel downpours and keep river levels high, while reservoirs were overflowing and local authorities urged residents to exercise extreme caution.
In this context, the meteorological and civil protection services urged the public to stay in safe places and avoid traveling through flooded areas, reminding them that swells and heavy rains continued to impact parts of eastern Cuba.
The combination of persistent rainfall, gusty winds, and saturated soils sustained the emergency in Granma throughout the day, with particular emphasis on Bayamo and its surroundings, where some of the most dramatic scenes of the storm were recorded.
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