torrential rains leave 6 dead and extensive damage

The torrential rains that hit eastern Cuba for three days left six dead and extensive material damage, especially to the road infrastructure.

The official website Cubadebate detailed on Tuesday that two people died in Granma, two in Camagüey, one in Las Tunas and one in Santiago de Cuba, after an initial report on Sunday of a deceased.

The total figures for material losses were not reported. The day before, President Miguel Díaz-Canel led a videoconference meeting with officials from the most affected areas to coordinate help for families.

The month of June is part of the rainy season on the island, but according to experts and officials in some places these were the worst floods in 30 years.

Images disseminated in the local press and social networks showed rivers overflowing, roads cut, houses flooded and people evacuated.

Granma, some 800 kilometers southeast of Havana, was the province that suffered the most damage: 105 communities –some 18,000 people- were left isolated by landslides and flooding rivers. Some 145 houses were affected and the deterioration of 89 kilometers of routes and roads was reported. In addition, there were problems in the water and electricity services.

For its part, in Camagüey, more than 80 kilometers of roads were affected and close to 860 hectares of damaged crops, as well as 4,500 hectares of sugarcane.

In Las Tunas, 1,500 people were evacuated and another 1,000 in Holguín.

Finally, in the province of Santiago there were 40 isolated settlements due to the overflow of the rivers.

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