Guamá: Where Hurricane Melissa Made Landfall with its Fury of Wind and Rain

Guamá, one of the largest municipalities in Santiago de Cuba, was the point where Hurricane Melissa made landfall in the early hours of this morning, unleashing the powerful winds and rains characteristic of a major hurricane.

According to Elier Pila, a specialist from the Institute of Meteorology, the storm contacted land around three o'clock this Wednesday morning at Playa El Francés in that locality.

The full fury of this female-named cyclone impacted the municipality, which spans 950 square kilometers and has a population of approximately 34,100 inhabitants, according to data from the National Statistics Office.

Those who have visited this locality with its indigenous name are first struck by the mountainous landscape's lush greenery from its coffee plantations and forested areas, the beauty of its beaches, and the kindness of its people.

Guamá lies at the foot of the Sierra Maestra mountain range. Within its geography are the peaks of Maceo, Martí, Suecia, Cuba, and the Real del Turquino—the country's highest mountain elevation at 1,974 meters above sea level.

The revolution constructed hospitals, polyclinics, family doctor's offices, primary and secondary schools, and even municipal university campuses in the area.

Strong in coffee and timber production, as well as in photovoltaic energy for the region, it is also distinguished as a land of great historical moments, such as the Battle of Uvero.

It seems the beauties of the place attract both national and foreign tourists, as well as meteorological phenomena that unfortunately cause it multiple damages.

For instance, in August 2011, the municipality suffered serious impacts from Tropical Storm Emily, which damaged roads, homes, industrial processes, and the electrical service due to intense rains.

Just last month, it was affected by the passage of Tropical Storm Imelda, which caused rivers in the territory to swell and kept it cut off for several days across 125 kilometers due to landslides and obstructions.

Now it is Melissa, which found its first barrier in the coast and mountains of Guamá—a beautiful, mythical, and rebellious place, like the indigenous person for whom it was named, and brave enough to withstand the force of so many onslaughts.