Updated by Leipzig del Carmen García
In view of the imminent passage of Tropical Storm Melissa through Granma, Yudelkis Ortiz Barceló, President of the Provincial Defense Council (CDP), emphasized the need to ensure measures to minimize the damage from the meteorological event.
During a video conference with the 13 municipalities of this eastern region, Marcelo Cid Zayas, director of the Provincial Meteorological Center, reported that Melissa is already packing winds of 110 km/h and should reach hurricane status by midnight.
He emphasized that rain will begin to appear before it passes through this territory, and we will be affected by the winds and torrential rainfall. He warned that it is necessary to be prepared to face flooding in coastal areas.
The assessment emphasized the need to secure protection centers during the information phase, and the coastal municipalities of Manzanillo, Campechuela, Media Luna, Niquero, and Pilón were instructed to be prepared to deal with communities isolated by flooded rivers or collapsed bridges.
Yanetsy Terry Gutiérrez, vice president of the Provincial Defense Council, referred to the need to concentrate radio amateurs in the areas of greatest risk, to maintain communication, expedite harvesting, activate support groups in the communities, and share information published on the social media of official media outlets.
It was also reported that work is underway to protect the photovoltaic solar farms, to prepare 23 specialized brigades ready to operate in any situation, and to ensure the availability of rescue and salvage brigades.
During the meeting, Marbelis Campos Busquet, Delegate of Water Resources in Granma, explained that in recent hours, reservoirs have seen an increase of 2.8 million cubic meters of water and are at 60% capacity in the province.
In this regard, she specified that Paso Malo is at 90% capacity, Cilantro (Pilón) is at 83% capacity, and the Guisa Dam is at 80%.
Meanwhile, Dr. Yelenis Elías Montes, head of the Health subgroup in Granma, explained that medical services continue to be provided in all institutions, primarily strengthening emergency services in hospitals.
She added that given the difficult epidemiological situation due to the high circulation of arboviruses, it is necessary to increase efforts in family self-isolation and warned about the importance of storing clean water and using sodium hypochlorite.
Aresqui Hernández Ramírez, head of the economic subgroup, announced the actions to protect cattle, the early coffee harvest in Guisa and Bartolomé Masó, which yielded 12,000 cans of ripe coffee, and the distribution and marketing of food for the population.
The population was called upon to make voluntary blood donations over the weekend for any emergency arising from Melissa’s passage through the territory.
At the end of the Provincial Defense Council meeting, its president, Yudelkis Leipzig Ortiz Barceló, urged everyone to take full advantage of preventive actions and comply with the risk and vulnerability plans foreseen for this phase, and to act promptly in the face of the imminent natural event.
(Leipzig del Carmen García, Radio Habana Cuba correspondent in Granma)
