Havana/The Cuban Government recognized this Monday that more than half a million people in the country remain without electricity due to Melissathe hurricane that hit the eastern end of the Island 19 days ago.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines updated on social networks the percentages of customers who have already recovered electricity connection in the five provinces affected by this powerful hurricane that made landfall as category 3 (out of 5) on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
Thus, the recovery would have reached 100% of the clients in the province of Las Tunas, but only 58% of those in Santiago de Cuba, the most affected region. In the middle would be the provinces of Holguín (91%), Granma (95%) and Guantánamo (99%).
Comparing these rates with the population statistics of the National Information and Statistics Office (Onei), it appears that – approximately – there are still some 526,000 people affected by the breakage of distribution lines caused by the hurricane. Of them, about 399,000 reside in Santiago de Cuba, approximately 85,500 in Holguín, around 37,500 in Granma and about 4,500 in Guantánamo.
Repairing the lines, however, does not mean that power will automatically return to customers.
Melissa, with winds of up to 200 kilometers per hour and accumulated rain of up to 400 millimeters (or liters per square meter), caused “considerable material damage,” according to the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel. However, so far, the Government has not released a final account of the damage.
The main damage is concentrated in homes (about 90,000), crops (at least 100,000 hectares) and public infrastructure, from medical centers (600) to schools (2,000), including the National Energy System (SEN).
The repair of the lines, however, does not mean that power will automatically return to customers, since Cuba suffers a serious energy crisis and the SEN is unable to regularly produce the electricity that homes and the economy demand.
The maximum deficit expected daily for peak hours was around 50% of demand in recent weeks, due to the ravages of Melissa and the national energy crisis.
These days, as if that were not enough, the intense rains have continued to punish the area. Early on Saturday, for example, the city of Baracoa, in Guantánamo, The Miel River overflowed againaffecting entire neighborhoods. The images shared by several users show homes with water at window level, people submerged up to their waists, streets that become streams of water and mud, and families trying to save the little they have.
Last week, thousands of residents had to be evacuated in Moa and Sagua de TánamoHolguín, after the sudden flooding of the nearby rivers.
