Cuban easternmost province authorities check the situation caused by the heavy rains

 

GUANTANAMO, Cuba, September 29 (ACN) On a very rainy Sunday in Guantanamo, the top authorities of the province toured the municipalities of Imias, San Antonio del Sur, Niceto Perez (including the town of Ullao), the provincial capital, El Salvador, and Manuel Tame, to assess the impact of the rains that have affected the area since Friday afternoon and which are still ongoing.

Yoel Perez Garcia, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba in the province, and Alis Azahares Torreblanca, the governor, met with local authorities and residents of these municipalities to discuss the effects of the rainfall caused by Tropical Depression 9, which later became Tropical Storm Imelda.

According to the Venceremos newspaper, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, contacted the provincial authorities at midnight on Saturday.
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They informed him of the specific conditions in the area under the influence of heavy rains and the actions being taken to protect the population and economic resources.

Approximately 18,000 people in Guantanamo have been relocated, either to the homes of relatives and friends or to designated shelters.

To date, there have been reports of collapsed houses, overflowing rivers, flooding in areas of Caimanera, fallen trees, and power outages, which the electrical workers are working to repair when weather conditions permit.

Heavy rains are being registered in the Guantanamo Valley, with more than 500 millimeters of accumulated rainfall in Hatibonico.

In San Antonio del Sur, the communities of San Antonio, Pan de Azucar, La Playa, Macambo, and the low-lying areas of Oquendo, which were severely affected by Hurricane Oscar, are taking preventive measures, and their residents are sheltering in the homes of relatives, in elevated areas, and on upper floors, demonstrating an organized local response to avoid greater risks.

Meanwhile, the Imias River is reported to have risen to near the level of the bridge, whose infrastructure was severely damaged by Hurricane Oscar, once again isolating the Jesús Lores community from the town center.

According to the Meteorology Institute, in its 5:00 PM report on Sunday, due to the extensive circulation of Hurricane Imelda, this complex meteorological situation in southeastern Cuba is expected to persist for the next 24 hours.

This could cause flooding and landslides, and the population is urged to stay informed and move to safe areas.