A. SITUATION ANALYSIS
Description of the Disaster
Cuba suffered several hydrometeorological events that reached their highest intensity on 25-26 May 2020. Intense rains, floods, and strong winds especially affected the central Cuban provinces of Camagüey, Ciego de Ávila, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spíritus, and Villa Clara.
Severe Local Storms (SLS):
From 25 to 26 May, a strong local storm caused tornadoes, hail, thunderstorms, and sustained winds of more than 92 km/h.
A tornadic event was recorded in the province of Santi Spíritus with winds of up to 120 km/h. According to the Meteorological Centre in Sancti Spíritus, it was the largest and most visible local event that affected the area. Other strong local storms also generated significant damage in the provinces of Villa Clara, Ciego de Avila, and Camagüey.
Heavy rainfall:
The severe local storms were in addition to the intense rains registered in the country 20-26 May in the central provinces of Cuba: Camagüey, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spíritus, and Villa Clara, where floods occurred as a result of the severe climatic events that took place on 25-26 May.
The following rainfalls were recorded:
- Sancti Spíritus: up to 148 mm of accumulated rainfall in 3 hours
- Villa Clara: up to 166 mm of accumulated rainfall
- Cienfuegos: up to 243 mm of accumulated rainfall
In the five provinces of the country, the reported damages mainly involved damage to the structures of houses. The early damage assessment determined that the events have directly impacted at least 766 families.
As the Atlantic hurricane season began on 1 June 2020, Cuba continued to be affected by the Pandemic. Additional concerns remain about the threat of vector-borne diseases such as Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika during the rainy season.