No Deaths Reported in Cuba In Spite of Floods

Thanks to the effective civil defense system developed in Cuba and the
numerous water reservoirs built in the southeastern province of Granma
over the last 4 decades, there have been no human losses even when the floods have reached higher levels than those back in 1963, when
hurricane Flora took a toll of thousands of people in this region.

According to Sunday evening reports, the number of people evacuated
exceeds 40,000, half of them from the municipality of Rio Cauto. Civil
defense authorities and army forces continue to lead evacuation actions
as rains in the mountains have not ceased, and water continues to drain
down from the highest areas.

Numerous floods have been reported in the municipalities of Yara and
Campechuela, said Lazaro Exposito, President of the Provincial Civil
Defense Council.

Hundreds of transport vehicles including buses, trucks, helicopters and
amphibious vehicles are available for evacuation and rescue operations.
The people from Rio Cauto, are being taken to Bayamo, the capital city
of Granma, since the Cauto River, the largest in Cuba, is overflowed,
as well as the Salado and Naranjo rivers.

Exposito said around 300 families in Bayamo are hosting evacuees and
many others have expressed their willingness to shelter victims.

Economic losses caused by the rain in the month of October and
particularly those associated with hurricane Noel are estimated in
millions of Cuban pesos especially in the housing, roadways and
agricultural sectors in Granma.