From our Seven Plagues of Castrogonia Bureau
Due to the lack of power throughout the whole island of Cuba, it is immensely difficult to obtain detailed news about anything. But the few reports that are emerging from the eastern end of the island reveal that hurricane-force winds and torrential rains are revealing widespread destruction to buildings, trees, and crops. And, as always, Castro, Inc. will not be able to clean up or repair anything that has been damaged.
Loosely translated from Marti Noticias
Hurricane Oscar hit the eastern tip of Cuba on Sunday with winds of 130 kilometers per hour and heavy rains after making landfall near Baracoa in Guantánamo, leaving homes and other buildings without roofs, fallen trees, and damage to agriculture, according to a preliminary damage assessment.
Videos shared on social media showed banana plantations on the ground and tree trunks blocking roads in the El Jamal area.
“It is now raining lightly, and people are walking around the area to observe the damage left by Oscar as it passed through the previous afternoon and evening,” reported the community radio station Radio Baracoa on Facebook.
According to the local radio, some homes and state institutions lost their roofs due to the cyclone’s impact in the town near the city of Baracoa.
In the province of Guantánamo, the municipalities most affected by the intense rains associated with the cyclone are Imías and San Antonio del Sur. In the Caujerí Valley, 300 mm (12 inches) of rain had accumulated in 3 hours on Monday, a record figure, according to statements from Yoel Pérez García, the first secretary of the Communist Party in that province, to state radio.
Oscar, downgraded to a tropical storm, remained over eastern Cuba, with winds of 75 kilometers per hour. It is expected to leave the island and move north on Monday afternoon or evening, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) in its 8:00 AM forecast.
The cyclone was located about 10 kilometers from the city of Guantánamo and was moving west at around 4 km/h. Tropical storm-force winds extended up to 75 kilometers from the center.
Rains continue to affect the eastern region of the country. Up to Wednesday morning, rainfall amounts of 7 to 14 inches are expected, with up to 20 inches in isolated areas, especially within the Sierra Maestra. “This rain will lead to significant life-threatening flash flooding and landslides,” warned the NHC.
The regime will “not be able” to do much of anything because its limited resources are NOT earmarked to help Cubans in need but to maintain the regime in power, which is always the top if not the only priority.