Cuba evacuates 66,000 people in the eastern zone due to the threat of a storm and tropical storm

The Cuban authorities evacuated more than 66,000 people in the Guantánamo province (east) and other areas of its extreme east, in addition to other measures, due to the threat of a rainstorm and a tropical storm.

Two weeks ago, Guantánamo received the direct impact of Cyclone Óscar with a particularly severe blow to its municipalities of Baracoa – where it penetrated – along with San Antonio del Sur, Imías and Maisí.

After its passage, eight people died and damage was reported in more than 12,000 homes, among other damage.

The mobilization is motivated by the proximity of a trough over the Atlantic that is dumping rain on the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Puerto Rico, and which has also begun to fall on areas of Guantanamo, which are still vulnerable.

Added to this situation is the foreseeable formation of a tropical depression, which in the coming days as it moves from north to northwest as it advances through the Caribbean Sea will become a storm that could affect Cuba.

The island’s Institute of Meteorology has indicated that this area of ​​low pressure in the Caribbean remains disorganized but the high sea temperatures and humidity in the atmosphere are sufficient conditions for the development of a cyclone.

For this reason, it has warned in an “early warning” notice.

Likewise, the Civil Defense General Staff has already established the “information phase” for the eastern provinces of Guantánamo, Holguín, Santiago de Cuba, Granma and Las Tunas.

Cuba still has the traces of Óscar – the first meteor that directly touched its territory in the current cyclone season – when it penetrated on Sunday, October 21 as a category 1 hurricane (out of 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale) at a point close to Baracoa, then degraded to a storm before leaving about 25 hours later through the Holguín province (northeast).

Cuban meteorologists have predicted that cyclonic activity – in force from June 1 to November 30 – will be “very active” with the possible formation of 20 tropical storms, of which at least 11 could become hurricanes, due to favorable conditions. existing in the area for their training and development.