Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and president of the Republic, arrived this Saturday morning at the headquarters of the National Civil Defense General Staff, to closely monitor the weather situation in the country.

He is accompanied by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, the Organization Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (CCPCC), Roberto Morales Ojeda and the Commander of the Revolution Ramiro Valdés Menéndez.

In the last twenty-four hours the rains were numerous in the west and center, some in the east.

Through videoconference it was exchanged with the western and central provinces. Deputy Prime Ministers and holders of various portfolios attended the meeting.

It was also reported that very strong rain bands continue over the West and Center, which should continue this Saturday.

The president of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources, Antonio Rodríguez Rodríguez, confirmed that the rains have been very intense:

In May it rained at 103% of the monthly average, so this meteorological event is entered with abundant rains.

In three days of June it has rained 30% of the average for the month.

The accumulated average is 57.5 millimeters of water.

The largest accumulated are in Isla de la Juventud (203); Pinar del Rio (174); and Matanzas (125).

4,519 million cubic meters of water are accumulated in the reservoirs, 46% of the total capacity of the country.

From Pinar del Río, the secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, Yamile Ramos reported:

12 reservoirs discharge

84% filled reservoirs

4,480 evacuees

1 deceased

1 missing

302 affectations to the electrical service.

11 confined zones

The president told the people of Pinar del Río to work intensely on the recovery. The work philosophy, he said, is to resolve the problems immediately.

From Artemisa it was known that the rains have been beneficial for agriculture and reservoirs. A severe local storm occurred in the municipality of Candelaria, which affected 22 houses on their roofs.

Esteban Lazo participates in a meeting of the temporary working group in Havana

Esteban Lazo Hernández, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and president of the Council of State, chaired this Saturday the meeting of the government’s temporary working group in Havana, which is evaluating the current situation related to the hydrometeorological event that affects the Caribbean region, reports ACN on Telegram.

The situation may improve in the next few hours, the rains will not be as intense, although the soils are saturated, says Aylin Justiz, a specialist at the Cuban Institute of Meteorology.

In the last twenty-four hours the rains were numerous in the west and center, some in the east. These precipitations were intense in several locations in the west and center of Cuba, highlighting the highest report in the meteorological station of Punta del Este, Isla de la Juventud with 155 millimeters, followed by Isabel Rubio, Pinar del Río with 135 millimeters and Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud with 129 millimeters.

Floods were recorded in 23 locations in the capital, and damage to the electrical service in 24 circuits.

Preliminary data on the damage in Havana offered the day before indicates that, until 6:00 p.m. this Friday, 61 landslides were reported in the capital, 60 of them partial and one total, which affected nine families, a total of 20 people.

The death of two people in Havana, as a result of a landslide and an accident, was lamented.

445 people were sheltered in around 80 evacuation centers and another 1,914 self-evacuated at the homes of relatives or friends.

The municipalities most affected by landslides are Centro Habana, Diez de Octubre and Habana Vieja.

It is reported that very strong rain bands continue over the West and Center.

(With information from the Cuban Presidency, agencies and media)