Hurricane Melissa damaged over 100,000 homes in eastern Cuba, an impact detailed in a Central Committee meeting of the Communist Party, which also highlighted progress in recovery efforts and the international solidarity received.
Hurricane Melissa damaged 116,100 homes during its passage through eastern Cuba in late October, bringing strong winds and intense associated rains. This was reported on Saturday, December 13, during the XI Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC, in Spanish), which addressed the impact and the progress of recovery in affected areas.
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President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, First Secretary of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, highlighted that no lives were lost. He attributed this success to the timely declaration of alert and alarm phases, the effective functioning of management systems at all levels during the hurricane, and efficient evacuation and rescue operations, alongside “the achieved risk perception and the discipline of the people.”
Speaking via teleconference at the meeting, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, President of the Provincial Defense Council in Santiago de Cuba, reported 93,000 affected homes in her province. She noted that the bulk of debris and waste has been cleared, and the epidemiological situation is improving. Simultaneously, working groups are installing roofs, and land is being prepared and sowed following crop damage caused by the hurricane.
Vicente de la O Levy, Minister of Energy and Mines, stated that electricity service restoration stands at 98.9% in the province of Santiago de Cuba. He explained that vital systems across the province have been restored to over 95%, with water supply reporting a 96% recovery rate in Santiago de Cuba.
Restoration and International Solidarity
The report presented at the meeting indicated significant progress in electricity restoration in other provinces hit by Hurricane Melissa. Granma province is at 100%; Guantanamo, 99.95%; and Holguin, 99.9%.
Likewise, 100% percent of basic and mobile telephone services have been recovered in these provinces and in neighboring province of Las Tunas. In Santiago de Cuba, basic telephone services have been restored to over 94%.
🗣️| Ahora tenemos que hacer también análisis para actualizar los planes de reducción de desastres.
— Presidencia Cuba 🇨🇺 (@PresidenciaCuba) December 13, 2025
Text reads: “I think we have also given a lesson to everyone. A very rare way of being a “Failed State”, a very rare “Failed State” that is able to mobilize people, all participating, and manage to recover in a solidarity way. Now we also need to do analysis to update disaster reduction plans.”
Following the hurricane’s impact on eastern Cuba, multilateral agencies, NGOs such as the Red Cross, and organizations like ALBA-TCP have mobilized aid. Additionally, countries including Venezuela, China, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, and South Korea have dispatched food, humanitarian assistance, and collaboration for infrastructure recovery efforts.
Melissa traversed eastern Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with winds reaching 200 kilometers per hour. Rainfall exceeded 400 millimeters in some areas, causing severe flooding. These conditions damaged homes, infrastructure networks, and crops, leaving thousands of people displaced and in need of assistance.
Recovery efforts continue to focus on rebuilding and restoring essential services for the affected communities.
From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.