Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated in eastern Cuba ahead of Hurricane Melissa’s punishing wrath, according to Cuban state-run media website Cubadebate.
In Santiago de Cuba — the island’s second largest city — more than 119,000 people were evacuated, Cubadebate reported, quoting local officials. Many of those were told by Civil Defense authorities to leave their homes in low-lying areas prone to flooding.
All public transport in eastern Cuba has been suspended, including rail services, buses and flights, state-run TV reported, citing a government announcement.
Ahead of the storm, a CNN team in Santiago de Cuba saw large crowds lining up to buy food and water or take out cash from ATMs. Many Cubans climbed across roofs in the city to remove metal awnings and water tanks that Melissa’s raging winds could turn into deadly shrapnel.
The powerful and slow moving hurricane could be the most dangerous Cubans have seen in years. Melissa is still expected to be a major hurricane when it reaches eastern Cuba after hitting Jamaica.
“In the meeting of the National Defense Council, we insisted that the priority is to protect the population,” Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel posted on X.
Damage and heavy rain from Melissa will likely further compound Cuba’s problems, including dire power shortages, economic instability and an epidemic of the disease dengue, which is carried by mosquitoes.
