Highest authorities check impact of heavy rains in Havana

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, along with other authorities in the country, today evaluated the situation in the capital in the face of the intense rains and severe local storms that hit the territory.

According to reports on the social network X the Presidency, the head of state participated in a meeting with the highest authorities of the territory, where 26 total landslides were reported, 148 people protected in state centers and 762 self-evacuated in the homes of family and friends.

Also participating in the meeting were members of the Political Bureau Manuel Marrero Cruz, Prime Minister, and Roberto Morales Ojeda, Secretary of Organization of the CC PCC.

 Cuba's western provinces were hit by severe local storms that caused floods and affected more than 270 thousand people in the electric service.

Some 20 brigades from five provinces have joined the electrical recovery of the capital, where 78 electrical circuits have been reported affected, of which 36 are already receiving services.

The worst affected are in the municipalities of Boyeros, Diez de Octubre, Cotorro, San Miguel, Arroyo Naranjo, La Lisa and Cerro.

Alfredo López Valdés, director of Unión Eléctrica, explained that the service is also affected in Mayabeque, Artemisa and Matanzas.

At 06:00 (local time) the provinces of Pinar del Río, La Habana, Mayabeque, Artemisa and Matanzas had tens of thousands of people without electricity, according to a report on the Cubadebate website.

Workers from the Pinar del Río Electric Company went to the capital on Saturday to support the recovery efforts.

According to reports from social network users, in Mayabeque and Artemisa provinces heavy rains also caused damage to homes, institutions and electricity service.
Cuba's Institute of Meteorology reported that a change in weather is expected in the western region during the afternoon. There will be mostly cloudiness, rains, showers and thunderstorms, some of them strong and intense in some localities.