Hurricane Oscar - Oct 2024

Tropical cyclone OSCAR continued inland over south-eastern Cuba on 21 October, as a tropical storm, further weakening. On 22 October at 6.00 UTC its centre was located over the North Atlantic Ocean approximately 70 km south-west of the Crooked Island, far southern Bahamas, with maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h (tropical storm). Its passage over south-eastern Cuba caused heavy rainfall and resulted in casualties and damage. Media reports, as 22 October, six fatalities across the San Antonio del Sur community, Guantanamo province. Several municipalities received more than 300 mm of rain, causing heavy flooding, severe damage to infrastructure and the blocking of roads and highways. Over the next 24 hours, heavy rainfall, strong winds and storm surges are still forecast over south-eastern Cuba and central and southern Bahamas. (ECHO, 22 Oct 2024)

Following Hurricane Oscar, the UN in Cuba launched a Plan of Action, developed with national authorities, to support immediate response and early recovery. This plan, which seeks US$33 million to assist 478,000 people, will address urgent needs over the first six months, with select projects extending up to 18 months for recovery. [...]

Approximately 150,000 people face urgent needs in areas like Baracoa, Maisí, Imías, and San Antonio del Sur, where widespread flooding hampers rescue efforts and access to water, food, and health services. Power outages are disrupting communications and emergency response. The storm damaged over 14,300 homes, many at risk of roof collapse, along with 56 health facilities, 150 schools, and critical water systems. More than 15,000 hectares of crops were lost, affecting food storage and local livelihoods, including salt and coffee production. (OCHA, 04 Nov 2024)

Hurricane Oscar has left nearly 60,000 people affected by various damages to their homes: total and partial collapses, as well as the total or partial loss of roofs. Around 90,000 people, including those whose homes were damaged, have lost basic living and subsistence needs such as mattresses, cooking facilities, hygiene, and lack of electricity due to the impact of the floods. The impact of the floods has been greatest in Imías (which is still cut off) and in San Antonio del Sur municipalities. [...]

Guantánamo province was the hardest hit by Hurricane Oscar. Serious damage was reported in the agricultural sector, in more than 4,000 hectares of vegetables, 750 hectares of bananas, and 1,117 tons of beans. In the agroforestry sector, 4,648 ha of coffee, 3,782 ha of cocoa, and 153 ha of coconut were damaged. In the livestock sector, damage was reported to the roofs of facilities related to small livestock, while in the fishing sector, damage occurred to the infrastructure of fishery product processing centers. In the 4 municipalities of San Antonio del Sur, Imías, Maísi and Baracoa, 1,786 hectares of crops were lost, as well as more than 200 hectares of seedbeds that supported 2,000 hectares of sowing, which includes 27 cultivation houses in the Caujerí Valley module, and 32,800 cans of coffee. In the banana sector, it is estimated that almost 50% of the plantations have been damaged, reaching 70 or 80% in Baracoa and Maisí. (UNCT Cuba, OCHA, 25 Nov 2024)