Heavy rain, linked to the passing of Hurricane Agatha, hit several Cuban provinces and the capital on Friday, with the interim official count of two dead, one missing and thousands of residents without electricity.
Heavy and heavy rains, as well as lightning-thunderstorms, have affected the western and central regions of Cuba with accumulated rain of more than 200 millimeters, and will continue for the rest of the day on Friday and tomorrow. Saturdaysays the Institute of Meteorology of Cuba (INSMET).
The phenomenon is due to the passage of Hurricane Agatha on Monday in Mexico, which descended on Tuesday into a tropical storm, but could reactivate as a hurricane in the coming days, with its release into the Atlantic, according to the hurricane center. of Miami.
Several neighborhoods in the Cuban capital were affected, including Old Havana and the center, where a 69-year-old man was killed and another was injured, state news portal Cubadebate said.
The Civil Defense General Staff later reported another death in Havana province, without providing further details.
State media showed footage of rescuers evacuating residents in rowboats.
In the capital, 40 housing collapses were recorded and about 400 residents were evacuated, while nearly 2,000 others left their homes to seek shelter, authorities said at an aid coordination meeting chaired by Chief Minister Manuel Marrero.
A total of 50,000 customers in Havana province are without electricity, they said.
In the western province of Pinar del Río, which was also affected by the floods, a passer -by fell into the flooded river and, according to neighbors, was not exposed, state media reported.
The rains caused flooding from the province of Pinar del Río to Sancti Spiritus [centre] also on the island of Juventud [sud]according to INSMET.
17 storms are predicted this season
The storm is expected to hit the Florida peninsula on Saturday.
The hurricane season begins on June 1 each year and ends on November 30 for the North Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean.
The Meteorological Institute forecasts the formation of 17 storms this season, more than the historical average of 14 per year between 1991 and 2020.
Source: Radio-Canada
