• Submitted by: admin
• Environment
• Granma
• Guantánamo
• Holguín
• Las Tunas
• Santiago de Cuba
• 11 / 02 / 2007

Local government authorities reported that in only 35 minutes, 55 millimeters of rain fell in the town of Dos Bocas de Cardero, in Media Luna, while 46 millimeters were registered in Pilon in half an hour.

Several municipalities, such as Minas del Frio, San Lorenzo, Mompie are cut off because of the floods of the rivers. Gusts of over 80 KM/H have been reported in the area as well.

The number of people evacuated increased Wednesday night from 706 to 881, who were taken to government shelters or to relatives and friends' homes. The highest number of evacuees was reported in Manzanillo, with 487, most of them sheltered in public facilities.

Meanwhile, all ten water reservoirs in the region are draining, while efforts are underway to create conditions to increase the capacity of the reservoirs so they can hold larger amounts of water coming from rivers and streams from Santiago de Cuba, Holguin and Las Tunas.

The largest reservoir of the eastern region of Cuba, Cauto el Paso, with a capacity of 330 million cubic meters is already holding 300 million.

Granma's Civil Defense Council is taking the necessary actions to avoid human losses and bring down as much as possible the material damage.

According to local weather forecasts, the rains will continue hitting the highest mountainous range of the country, Sierra Maestra in the next few hours.

Source: Radio Habana Cuba