The Cuban meteorologist Yosmelvi Páez expressed his outrage at the limitations of Cuba's weather radar system and denounced that to monitor rainfall in various regions of the country, citizens have to rely on images from U.S. radars, while the national equipment remains turned off or lacks information available to the public.
In a post made this Thursday on Facebook, Páez criticized the Cuban Institute of Meteorology (INSMET) for the difficulties in accessing radar images and stated that the fuel shortage has left the equipment out of service for several months.
According to the explanation, fuel reserves are allocated for exceptional situations, such as the arrival of a hurricane, when the radars can be put back into operation.
"All the RADARS in Cuba have been turned off for several months," stated the meteorologist, who questioned what happens with the monitoring of rainfall and other phenomena when there is no significant cyclonic threat.
His main criticism was directed at the radar in Pilón, in the province of Granma, which was noted this Thursday as the only operational unit on the INSMET website, according to his account.
Páez mentioned that he tried to consult his images to observe the rain areas that were affecting the national territory.
However, he stated that he had learned that the team was functioning solely for internal use by the meteorological service workers, without providing its data to the public.
It is a disrespect to weather enthusiasts or the general public who want to see the radar images to clearly identify the areas of rainfall and do not have access, he claimed.
The meteorologist questioned why a tool designed to monitor precipitation is not available to the public, especially since, according to his report, the equipment is operational.
In light of these limitations, he explained that those interested in tracking the rains over Cuba are compelled to consult radars located outside the national territory.
In particular, he mentioned the radar in Key West, Florida, whose images allow for observation of part of western Cuba, as well as that of the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo, used to monitor precipitation in specific areas of the eastern part of the country.
Páez lamented having to rely on those resources to obtain weather information that, in his view, should be directly available through Cuban institutions.
"And if I continue, it’s all just sad," she wrote as she concluded her complaint, in which she expressed her disappointment with INSMET.
The situation had already been reported by the meteorologist himself on September 8, when he warned that the eight meteorological radars in the country remained off 24 hours a day and criticized the deterioration of digital services at INSMET.
On that occasion, the images of the eight teams were not loading on the official website of the Institute, which prevented citizens from checking the rainfall using that tool.
The network of Cuban radars consists of eight facilities distributed throughout the archipelago, designed to detect and track rain, storms, and tropical cyclones. Their information is particularly useful during the cyclone season, which lasts until November 30th.
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