With Hurricane Melissa forecast to cross the eastern region as a major hurricane between Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, the most important thing is to protect the population, said Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Party Central Committee and President of the Republic, at an expanded meeting of the National Defense Council (CDN).
The meeting was held via videoconference with authorities from the provinces of Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Holguín, Las Tunas, and Camagüey, which are on alert, and Ciego de Ávila and Sancti Spíritus, which are in the information phase.
The exchange was also led by members of the Political Bureau, Roberto Morales Ojeda, Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee; Army Corps General Álvaro López Miera, Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces; and Army Corps General Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, Minister of the Interior.
Given the priority of ensuring the protection of the population, the Cuban president instructed that people living in flood zones, downstream from dams, and other areas at risk be adequately evacuated, and that the remaining hours before the impact of this extreme hydrometeorological hazard be used to the fullest. "Everything must be done in time," he said.
In addition to a set of general guidelines established for this type of contingency, Díaz-Canel insisted on the need to protect elderly people living alone and other vulnerable individuals; people's property, including pets; and to maintain a constant flow of information to raise awareness of the risk and avoid reckless behavior that can often cost lives.
The Head of State stressed the need to protect material resources, with measures in each workplace; the safeguarding of livestock in high places, the harvesting of agricultural products, and the location of boats in protected areas, among other measures. He emphasized prioritizing food processing and evacuation centers.
He instructed that the forces and resources to be used in the recovery phase be ready, and that the processing offices be organized. He noted that, after the event, priorities include the restoration of electrical service, water supply, and sanitation and hygiene.
AN INEVITABLE HURRICANE
At the beginning of the expanded CDN meeting, Dr. Celso Pazos Alberdi, director general of the Institute of Meteorology, explained that on Sunday morning, forecast models predicted that Melissa would make landfall in Cuba on Tuesday evening as a high-intensity hurricane, somewhere between the provinces of Granma and Santiago de Cuba, or perhaps Guantánamo, and that it would exit about 12 hours later, on Wednesday, at a point north between the provinces of Holguín and Guantánamo.
Rainfall is among the most significant impacts of the event, with accumulations estimated at between 200 and 400 millimeters in 34 to 48 hours, although it will be higher in mountainous areas. Sea surges are expected on the south coast as the storm enters and on the north coast as it exits, with coastal flooding.
Major General Ramón Pardo Guerra, head of the National Civil Defense Staff, stressed that the different phases in response to these events have been established in a timely manner, as established.
He reported on the evacuation of several hundred people, including tourists in Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, and Holguín, due to the threat of flooding from the rains occurring in the eastern region. It is a situation, he explained, that will continue to become more complex due to soil saturation.
IN GRANMA, PREPARED AND READY
From Granma, the first secretary of the provincial Party committee, Yudelkis Ortiz Barceló, reported that the territory has been preparing for the effects of Hurricane Melissa since October 22, when an early warning was issued.
Special attention is being given, she said, to the 98 geographical areas identified as critical zones, where work has been carried out in accordance with the measures established for each moment.
Evacuation centers and food preparation points have also been set up; sanitation work, cleaning of drains, unblocking, pruning, and other cleaning actions have been carried out.
Ortiz Barceló explained that in the province, some 110,000 people, 15% of the population of Granma, must be protected, both in evacuation centers and in the homes of family and friends; there are 224 protection centers in the territory.
As of Sunday morning, 470 pregnant women living in vulnerable geographical areas or at risk had been admitted. Some 116 families had been protected, and yesterday, Sunday, the bulk of the evacuations began.
The First Secretary of the Party in Granma assessed that the province, with its 13 municipalities, has complied with rigor, discipline, and diligence with the measures established by the Civil Defense in response to these events, and is ready to face their impacts.
IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA, RIGOR AND DISCIPLINE
In Santiago de Cuba, the first secretary of the Provincial Committee, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, praised the rigor and discipline that have prevailed here, where its nine municipal defense councils and 126 zone-level defense councils are active.
In recent days, the main leaders of the territory have been touring the municipalities, especially those recently affected by the rains from the hydrometeorological event that led to Tropical Storm Imelda.
In Santiago de Cuba, plans are in place to protect 258,573 people—about 25% of the local population—from threats such as those posed by Melissa: heavy rains, sustained winds, and flooding.
Regarding dams, he reported that the most important ones in the province are either already releasing water or are ready to do so. Careful attention is being paid to the coffee harvest, as there are some 49,000 ripe cans in the crop fields.
THE ENTIRE EAST ON ALERT
In Holguín, Civil Defense plans to evacuate 305,530 people in the event of contingencies such as those posed by meteorological phenomena like Melissa, for which it has 151 centers available.
Communication with the population is seen as a strength, so work continues to raise awareness of the danger and the measures that must be taken to preserve life.
Joel Queipo Ruiz, first secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, reported on the work of the defense councils at different levels, where the criterion of preparing for the worst-case scenario has prevailed, so that nothing takes us by surprise, he said.
Similar measures are being taken in Guantánamo, which in recent months has been affected by extreme events causing significant damage, especially in the municipalities in the far east.
Yoel Pérez García, first secretary of the Provincial Committee, reported that 30% of the population, around 140,000 people, is expected to be evacuated from the territory, for which 108 shelters have been made available.
In the Far East, preventive measures have prevailed, as well as measures to guarantee vital services before, during, and after the passage of the storm, including the organization of special training to deal with the damage left by Melissa, and popular brigades to support work on the electricity networks.
In Las Tunas, explained Osbel Lorenzo Rodríguez, first secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, the evacuation of some 72,000 people is planned, for which 113 protection centers are available, although, as is the case throughout the country, some 48,379 Las Tunas residents will be taken in by family and friends in the event of evacuation.
In the East Balcony, as in the rest of the provinces in the region, work has also been done to preserve material resources, including photovoltaic solar parks. The reservoirs in the territory are only 41% full; they are capable of receiving large volumes of water.
In the conclusions of the meeting, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Republic emphasized that, in the face of the threat posed by Melissa, the provinces have worked responsibly and knowledgeably. Díaz-Canel called for this approach to continue and assured that, with the participation of our people, we will overcome this situation and do so victoriously.
