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The storms that have hit the western Cuban province of Pinar del Río since Friday, where 300 millimeters of water accumulated, have left at least three dead and thousands of evacuees. The authorities have reported that thousands of inhabitants have also been left without electricity.
“When I got up on Friday the water reached my ankle,” José Luis Pérez, 25, told the EFE news agency. At this moment he knew that time was numbered. His wife and his little daughter left the house and he stayed behind trying to salvage as much as possible.
In the town of San Juan y Martínez, one of the most affected in all of Cuba, 177 millimeters (or liters per square meter) were recorded just between 8 and 11 am on Friday.
According to the preliminary data offered this Saturday by the authorities, the storms have left three dead, one missing, thousands of evacuees, more than a hundred houses collapsed (mainly in Havana), floods and power cuts that affected to 123,000 users.
“Nature gives us another test”
It was the remains of Agatha, the hurricane that hit the Pacific coast in southern Mexico and became “possible tropical cyclone One,” according to the Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.
“Nature gives us another test,” Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, the president of Cuba, wrote in a tweet.
Rain on rain. Nature gives us another test. With organization, discipline and solidarity, we will be able to overcome the exam together. Let’s not forget school #Fidel: every challenge is an opportunity. pic.twitter.com/k9IFnbvLxu
– Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) June 4, 2022
In Mayabeque, Artemisa and Matanzas they reported damage to homes and crops. On the other hand, “in the provinces of Cienfuegos, Villa Clara and Sancti Spíritus (center) the rains have been beneficial, and so far no major damage has been reported,” added the information from the Presidency.
👉 The impacts of intense rains are on homes, institutions, agricultural plantations and electrical service.
👉 On the other hand, rainfall has brought benefits to reservoirs. Groundwater that has been recovering.
— Cuba Presidency 🇨🇺 (@PresidenciaCuba) June 4, 2022
Through videoconference, in a meeting to assess the damage and coordinate actions, Celso Pazos Alberdi, general director of the Institute of Meteorology (INSMET), explained that conditions will begin to improve this Sunday, but we must not forget that June is the month rainiest of the year.
Antonio Rodríguez Rodríguez, president of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INRH), reported that at the national level the rains have reached more than 55 millimeters, the equivalent of 29% of the average for the month of June.
The current season of tropical cyclones in the Atlantic (officially from June 1 to November 30) will be “very active”, according to the Cuban Institute of Meteorology.
The specialized center foresees the formation of up to 17 tropical cyclones, of which nine could reach the category of hurricane. The authorities estimate that there is an 85% chance that one of them will affect Cuba.
The last time a major hurricane hit Cuba was in 2017, when Irma swept through the island’s north coast, leaving 10 deaths and material losses officially valued at $13.185 million.
with EFE
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