More than 66,000 Cubans evacuated over flooding fears
by AFP Staff Writers
Havana (AFP) Nov 3, 2024

More than 66,000 people have been evacuated in Cuba's easternmost province Guantanamo, ahead of heavy rains that threaten a region already badly hit by Hurricane Oscar, local television announced on Sunday.

The majority of evacuees are in the municipalities San Antonio del Sur and Imias, where Oscar caused historic flooding and killed eight people a fortnight ago, according to the TV station.

Cuba's Meteorological Institute warned on Sunday of "showers, rains and thunderstorms towards the eastern end" of the country. In addition, an area of low pressure south of Jamaica was also being monitored, it added.

"We are constantly monitoring the meteorological situation over Cuba and its possible evolution," wrote Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on X.

Oscar, a Category 1 hurricane that hit Cuba on October 20, left Guantanamo with saturated soils and draining reservoirs, increasing the risk of flooding in several municipalities in the province.

According to official figures, more than 12,000 homes, as well as roads and almost 20,000 hectares of crops -- mainly coffee -- were damaged by the storm.

Cuba is going through its worst economic crisis since the 1990s, marked by shortages of medicines and fuel, frequent power cuts and a wave of migration unprecedented since the 1959 Castro revolution.

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