A team of firefighters and rescue personnel successfully rescued a custodian who was trapped in the El Chapuzón recreation center, which was flooded by the rising waters of the Bayamo River in Granma province, due to the torrential rains from Hurricane Melissa.
The official channel CNC TV Granma reported this Thursday the rescue of a man, who was pulled out in a boat from an area that was completely underwater, by members of the Bayamo Fire Department and other agencies involved in the operation.
So far, the identity of the rescued custodian has not been revealed. The images posted on Facebook show the torrent of the river forcefully rushing through the area, with the park kiosks almost completely submerged in water.
Amid this challenging situation, rescuers conducted the operation that led to the successful rescue of the man. In the comments on the post, residents of Bayamo stated that there were more people trapped in the recreational area, which is located along the banks of the river in the San Juan del Cristo neighborhood, very close to the urban center.
The Bayamo River runs through the iconic city that bears its name. This Wednesday, it overflowed its banks due to the intense rainfall from Hurricane Melissa and the runoff from the reservoirs “toward low-lying areas of the Cauto plain, which do not drain directly into the sea,” as specified in the television report.
Additionally, he praised the intervention of the rescuers who faced the "rough waters of the mighty Bayamo" to save the life of the trapped guard.
The river's rise caused severe flooding in the neighborhoods adjacent to its banks. Images shared on social media showed numerous inundated neighborhoods, with houses almost completely submerged in water.
Residents and others who lived in the city before stated that the river had never risen so high, attributing it to the opening of the spillways of several reservoirs in order to relieve them, following the rains that occurred since the beginning of the week as the cyclone approached Cuba.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday morning, Yudelkis Ortiz Barceló, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in Granma, reported that “all the facilities in the surrounding area” of El Chapuzón were submerged, and warned about the danger in the area. “According to the neighbors, it hasn’t been like this since Cyclone Flora,” she remarked.
"There is a possibility that it will continue to rise, as abundant rains are expected to persist. We urge the population to exercise caution, discipline, and cooperation. Maintaining order is essential to prevent worse outcomes," said the official.
In another post on the social network, Ortiz warned: “Río Bayamo in the Chapuzón attracts the attention of onlookers; we have already taken measures to prevent people from approaching, it is very dangerous. It can continue to rise as long as it rains and the Corojo dam is relieved.”
After the passage of Hurricane Melissa through eastern Cuba, entire communities have been left isolated due to the flooding and many people are trapped.
Several rescues have been reported in the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, and Holguín, the hardest hit by the powerful Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which struck the region with winds of up to 195 km/h and torrential rains.
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