Evacuations continue in communities of Granma due to the rising of the Cauto River

The Red Cross of Cuba and members of the Rescue Forces are conducting various rescue operations in the Cauto Embarcadero community, in the Río Cauto municipality, following flooding in the area.

These actions are part of the evacuation of more than two thousand residents carried out in the late afternoon and night yesterday and the early hours of this Friday, as reported by on Facebook.

More than a thousand residents of the Guamo community in Granma province were urgently evacuated early this Friday to the municipality of Jobabo in Las Tunas due to the imminent risk of flooding from the rising Cauto River.

This occurs following the intense rains associated with the passage of Hurricane Melissa, which struck Cuba on October 28th.

CNC TV Granma reported that the evacuation was carried out immediately during the early morning hours when the rising river level began to threaten the nearby dam. Families were relocated primarily to the "Manifiesto de Montecristi" Polytechnic, where a shelter was set up with basic accommodation and food provisions.

Official Yaidel Miguel Rodríguez Castro reported that around 1,300 people were initially transported by train to the evacuation center, where more displaced individuals continue to arrive.

Authorities anticipate that the number of evacuees will range between 5,000 and 7,000 people in the coming hours, as rescue operations progress in affected rural areas.

During the emergency, some of the bread intended for the population of Jobabo was redirected to ensure breakfast for the evacuees, a measure that, according to Rodríguez, will be compensated throughout the day.

Neighbors from the area of Grito de Yara and other nearby localities reported on social media that homes were flooded and streets were completely covered with water. “Water is already inside the houses… we are without communication and can't sleep,” wrote a resident from the area.

Local media such as La Demajagua confirmed the evacuation of hundreds of residents and the mobilization of the Municipal Defense Council, which coordinates the reception of those displaced with the support of territorial structures.

So far, no casualties have been reported, but the situation in Granma and Las Tunas remains critical due to the high risk of flooding in the Cauto River basin, the longest river in Cuba.