Cuban President called for responsible action in the face of Hurricane Melissa

HAVANA, Cuba, Oct 28 (ACN) Miguel Diaz-Canel, President of the National Defense Council, called today for responsible action and compliance with the measures and guidelines of defense agencies, in light of the approaching powerful Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

In a message broadcast on Tuesday's Noticiero del Mediodía (Midday News), the Cuban President affirmed that, to date, the work has been carried out with great responsibility, dedication, and effort in a timely and consistent manner.

He highlighted the hard work carried out in recent days, from the country's infrastructure to the Defense zones, which has allowed for the evacuation of a large number of people to safe locations, the implementation of measures to protect the country's main economic resources and the assets of people living in areas vulnerable to flooding.
The hurricane is expected to affect the national territory in the afternoon and evening hours of Tuesday;

According to forecasts, it will pass through the country at full force during the night and early morning, and will exit the country tomorrow afternoon, Wednesday, the president warned.

He warned that this hurricane is considered one of the strongest, most severe, or perhaps the strongest to have hit Cuba.

The president affirmed that the country has significant experience in the organization of Civil Defense and the entire territorial defense system to confront it, and then work on recovery from the damage.

Measures must be taken early, which is why the declaration of the phases was brought forward to allow time to work, the head of state specified.

Diaz-Canel insisted on avoiding irresponsibility in the face of this meteorological event; he urged people not to bathe in swollen rivers or abandon evacuation sites until the recovery phase instructions have been given in each territory.

Let an atmosphere of solidarity, cooperation, and respect be created with the measures that have been implemented so that we do not have to mourn, first and foremost, the loss of human lives, he said.

The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba called on the population, following the hurricane, to participate in the recovery from the damage as quickly as possible.

He added that brigades for electricity, water resources, communications, and construction are concentrated in the eastern region of the country to work on the recovery from the damage caused by Melissa.

The United Nations agencies have made a group of resources available to the country in advance to assist and assist the victims, he commented.

We want to emphasize the magnitude of the event, and the need for the population to understand the risk posed by the hurricane, with winds exceeding 260 kilometers per hour, which can destroy any facility that is not in adequate condition, he added.

Diaz-Canel affirmed that there will be much work to be done in the wake of the damage this cyclone may cause, while reaffirming his confidence in the resilience of food production, housing, and the economy.

Once again, we count on the unity of our people, on the experience of these years of the Revolution, to face situations like these; and with the heroism and resilience of the Cuban people, together we will win, the president concluded.