A little more than two weeks after the devastating passage of Hurricane Melissathe provinces of Granma and Holguín face a new challenge: heavy rains and flooding that have caused evacuations and complicate recovery efforts in eastern Cuba.
The precipitation, associated with a cold frontthey have already forced people to evacuate Tuesday night and this Wednesday they continued to increase tension in territories already saturated and with dams at capacity due to the impact of Melissa.
According to press reports, the authorities They evacuated almost 3,000 people in the last 24 hours in the provinces of Holguín and Granmadue to the strong rain storm, while they have forced increase discharge from reservoirs and strengthen hydrological surveillance.
This new setback has aggravated the situation in territories that are still in the recovery phaseafter the severe damage left by Melissa in infrastructure, housing and basic services.
Not to go any further, the Granma electricity company explained on its networks that the recovery work underway in that sector could be delayed. “Given these adverse weather conditions, there are works that cannot be carried out as a preventive measure to guarantee the safety and health of our linemen,” said the entity.
Overflows in Holguín and new evacuations in Granma
Before yesterday’s rains in the Holguín municipality Sagua de Tánamo, about 2,500 people residing in low-lying areas had to be protected in the homes of family and friends after the overflowing of the Sagua River, according to the local press.
Meanwhile, the Cabañas River, in Moa, exceeded its usual channel by more than three meters, which caused floods that forced more than 260 inhabitants of that town to be protected.
In Granma, the president of the Provincial Defense Council, Yudelkis Ortiz, reported that they were 147 people evacuated in state centers due to the increase in the level of the Bueycito damwhich is at the limit of its capacity.
Before, about 50 residents of the community of Los Rivero had already been evacuated, As Ortiz herself explained then.
Floods, rapid evacuations and dumping of dams due to more rains in eastern Cuba
Increase in the flow of dams and effects in Yara
The Bueycito dam was pouring 107 cubic meters per second this Wednesday, while the Yao Diverter added another 100 m³/s, which caused new flooding in the municipality of Yara.
Given this situation, and at the same time as the evacuations, the Provincial Defense Council of Granma urged the population to remain alertespecially in the areas near the Sierra Maestra, where the rains continued with intensity.
Floods in eastern Cuba and reservoirs at their limit
The telecenter CNC TV Granma reported that in the last 24 hours significant rains had been recorded in the mountainous area of the province: 219 millimeters at the La Virgen gauging station and 103 millimeters at the Las Mercedes telemail station.
The territory’s reservoirs reported 79% full, with the following volumes:
- Buey Dam: 11.4 million cubic meters
- Cauto del Paso: 10.5 million cubic meters
- Pedregales: 2.9 million cubic meters
- Paso Malo: 2 million cubic meters
Given the magnitude of the rains, Rescue and Rescue teams from the Cuban Red Cross supported the evacuation and self-protection of vulnerable residents, including children, older adults and bedridden patients, according to local media.
Cold front prolongs instability
Meanwhile, the Institute of Meteorology warned that The abundant rains will continue in the next few hours, associated with a stationary cold front over eastern Cuba, which could increase the risk of new overflows and soil saturation.
According to meteorologist Raydel Rui Sánchez, in the coming days the conditions favorable for the rains to continue will continue, especially in the areas of the northern coast.
“It is important to be attentive to this situation, since the eastern region has experienced extreme rainfall after the passage of Hurricane Melissa and any additional rain can result in a complex hydrological situation,” the specialist warned.
