The number of deaths due to the heavy rains that hit the eastern part of the Island last week rose to six, according to the Castro authorities.
Through a videoconference with the designated president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, the governors of the provinces of Granma, Camagüey, Las Tunas and Santiago de Cuba confirmed this figure.
The Presidency of Cuba portal indicates that, in Camagüey, two people lost their lives, although the causes of their death are still under investigation. For its part, the territory of Granma confirmed a new death, besides the old man who drowned during the first days of the rains.
For their part, Santiago de Cuba and Las Tunas reported one death each, leaving the total number of deaths due to the rains at six.
In this regard, Díaz-Canel described the rain phenomenon as an “atypical” one that was generated by climate change.
“This time, the water reached places where it had never been before,” he said.
After what happened, the designated president ordered a study of each place to thus update the disaster reduction plans of each territory, with the hope that this will not happen again.
To do this, the central government sent a commission from the secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (PCC) to each of the affected territories, so that officials can evaluate what happened.
Additionally, Vicente de la O Levy, Minister of Energy and Mines of Cuba, revealed that there are still 1,883 people in the eastern region who still do not have electricity, but assured that all available resources were being used to restore service.
For many, the only good thing about the situation was that the drought that had been experienced in recent weeks came to an end, with the water reserves in each territory reaching levels not seen for months.
According to Antonio Rodríguez, president of the Institute of Hydraulic Resources, in the area there are 63 reservoirs that exceeded their filling capacity, and that in just 11 days, the historical rainfall averages were exceeded in Granma, Camagüey, Las Tunas and Holguín, where it precipitated. 211%, 165%, 166%, and 128%, respectively.
Despite this good news, the effects on crops and homes on the Island were costly, with thousands of homes reporting damage due to water and flooding.
