A video circulated on social media this Saturday reveals the extent of the flooding in the municipality of Río Cauto, in the province of Granma, where residents claim that “90% of the people are going to lose everything.”
In the recording shared by Facebook user Javi Traba, a resident reports that water covers much of the town and that only a small dry stretch remains in the center of the municipality.
"That is the only dry area left here in the center of Río Cauto... from there to the cinema it's 200 meters, and the water is already reaching."
The testimony warns about the critical situation in communities and small villages such as Guamo Viejo, Cayama, and Trinidad where —according to what is heard— “people have lost everything.”
The narrator also mentions that the bridge of "La Cuba" is "fleshless" and could collapse at any moment.
While some residents are trying to navigate in boats to rescue trapped individuals, the water is reported to have reached depths of seven to eight meters in certain areas, making it impossible for vehicles to pass.
“Guamo Viejo is underwater,” is heard from the man, who claims that many managed to evacuate, but some remain trapped.
"Those who remained did so by choice, because they did evacuate all those people," he comments, clearly shocked by the extent of the disaster.
The video, filmed between disbelief and despair, portrays a catastrophic scene in one of the lowest areas of eastern Cuba, hit by heavy rains that continue to raise the river's water level.
In light of the seriousness of the situation, the Army Corps General Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, First Deputy Minister and Chief of the General Staff of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), is leading a rescue and evacuation operation in the municipality, along with a task force from Minfar, as reported by the official newspaper on its Facebook page 26.
In the operations, Major General Eugenio Armando Ravilero Aguilera, head of the Eastern Army, is also involved, along with joint forces from the Ministry of the Interior, firefighters, and more than 150 members of the FAR, supported by helicopters, amphibious transports, and hauling trucks.
According to the source, inhabitants from various towns in Río Cauto are being transported by road from the municipal center to Cauto Embarcadero, while others continue to be evacuated by train.
The images and testimonies reflect the devastation left by Melissa in eastern Cuba, where the rains continue to raise the river level and complicate rescue efforts.
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