Related videos:
The Cauto River, the longest in Cuba, reached historic overflow levels this Friday following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, causing massive flooding and an unprecedented state of emergency in the municipalities of Río Cauto and Cauto Cristo in the province of Granma.
Images shared on social media showcase the impressive flow of the river under the entrance bridge to Cauto Cristo, with water reaching levels never recorded before. The area has been on alert since Friday morning.
"This is the water level at the bridge at the entrance to Cauto Cristo. I’ve never seen it like this. Just imagine the water downstream and the width of that torrent as it flows to the mouth..." warned a resident in a post that quickly went viral.
The official journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso confirmed from the scene that the river level at the entrance of Cauto Cristo was “simply impressive.”
For their part, local authorities warned the population to take extra precautions and follow the guidelines from Civil Defense to avoid tragedies.
In light of the magnitude of the floods, rescue and salvage teams, along with members of the Red Cross and the Ministry of the Interior, are deployed in the most affected areas.
According to official reports, more than 1,300 people have been evacuated from communities such as Guamo, Cauto Embarcadero, and Trinidad, due to the risk of further flooding.
The provincial delegate of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INRH), Marbelis Campos Busquet, stated that the 11 reservoirs in Granma remain in “perfect technical condition,” even though nine of them have reached their maximum filling level. “The Cauto El Paso dam continues to discharge, but within the normal parameters of its design,” the official explained.
Despite official reports, citizens have claimed that the situation "is not under control" and that aid is arriving slowly. "The water is rising too quickly. We continue to ask for help, and I won't tire until something is done," wrote a resident of Cauto Embarcadero on her Facebook profile.
Other publications show families leaving their homes on their own, carrying belongings and helping each other to reach higher ground. The images depict streets turned into rivers, submerged rooftops, and water covering entire houses.
Hydraulic authorities confirmed that the flow of the Cauto River has reached historical flooding levels due to the torrential rains brought by Hurricane Melissa, which struck eastern Cuba as a category 3 cyclone with winds of up to 185 km/h.
The combination of saturated soils, drainage deficiencies, and an extraordinary volume of rainfall—exceeding 500 millimeters in some areas—has turned the Cauto into a latent threat for thousands of people living along its banks.
Meanwhile, the National Civil Defense Headquarters maintains the cyclonic alarm phase for the municipalities of Río Cauto and Cauto Cristo, while continuing hydrological monitoring of the river and its tributaries.
Filed under: