Guantánamo, October 3 (RHC)-- Cuban President Raúl Castro is in Guantánamo --Cuba's easternmost province-- to assess actions being undertaken to confront and minimize the effects of Hurricane Matthew.

Accompanied by Deputy Defense Minister General Ramón Espinosa Martín, President Raúl Castro participated Sunday afternoon in a meeting of the Guanatanamo Provincial Civil Defense Council. 

During the meeting, Council President Denny Legrá Azaharez explained in detail the measures adopted thus far to deal with the contingency.

President Raúl Castro insisted that keeping the population duly and timely informed was crucial. He noted that it is the first time that the Cuban eastern region faces such a powerful hurricane, and that people may not be fully aware of the dangers it poses. He stressed the importance of constantly relaying the latest information on the hurricane, using all the available means at every stage, even when electric power may fail.

Evacuation plans were also discussed during the meeting, with Guantanamo Civil Defense authorities estimating that a total of 179,000 people may need to leave their homes given the danger of landslides and flooding.

The Cuban president visited also the Guantánamo regional military command, where he called on people to step up preparedness now and be ready to assume reconstruction later.