Plan of Action - United Nations System Cuba: Disaster Response - Hurricanes Oscar & Rafael, Earthquakes (November 2024)

Action Plan United Nations System in Cuba

This Action Plan is an expanded version of the Action Plan in response to Hurricane Oscar (October 20), now incorporating both Hurricane Rafael (November 6) and the earthquakes (November 10) and seeks $78.3 million to support nearly 930K people with their most urgent needs and recovery activities.

Situation Overview

In the span of just 20 days, two hurricanes and two earthquakes hit Cuban territory, within the context of an energy emergency that disconnected the national electric system on 18 October, two days before the impact of the first hurricane.

On 20 October, Hurricane Oscar made landfall as a Category 1 in the eastern part of Cuba, Guantánamo province. The system generated winds of more than 130 km/h, with significant rainfall accumulations, causing severe flooding in territories that usually face the challenges of drought. Its devastating path through the eastern region affected nearly half a million people, of which about 150,000 suffered critical damage. Eight people were reported dead.

A few days later, on 6 November, Hurricane Rafael made landfall on Artemisa, already a Category 3 hurricane. A population of 3.5 million in four provinces in the west of the country was exposed to very strong gusts and heavy rains. Approximately 800,000 people have suffered the damages caused by this powerful hurricane in the most exposed territories of Artemisa, Mayabeque, Havana and Isla de la Juventud.

Added to this, two strong earthquakes – one of 6 degrees and another of 6.7 on the Richter scale, with multiple aftershocks – impacted eastern Cuba on 10 November, in particular the provinces of Granma and Santiago de Cuba, causing damage to homes and key infrastructure.

In less than a month, the country has been hit by three disasters of diverse nature which impacted different regions of the Cuban archipelago, with significant negative effects in key sectors for the well-being of the population, their livelihoods and socio-economic development, reaching seven provinces and 17 municipalities of the country.