Havana, September 15 (RHC/Granma)-- President Raúl Castro acknowledged the hard work being carried out in the different territories in Cuba affected by Hurricane Irma.

Raul chaired a meeting of Communist Party, state and government leaders during which the damage caused by devastating storm and the recovery actions being undertaken were reviewed.

The President called attention to the fact that the present hurricane season is expected to be intense, resulting from climate change. He warned that the season will extend until November 30.

Raul urged for a continuation of the recovery work in a calm manner, focusing on solving the most pressing problems first, and keeping the population informed by all possible means on the situation prevailing in the country.

It was learned that more than 1,7 million people had been evacuated in Cuba during the hurricane, 86 percent of whom sought refuge in the homes of neighbors and relatives. The National Civil Defense reported though that more than 26 thousand people remain in evacuation centers.

The National Statistics Office is working on an assessment of the damages, with preliminary figures expected in the coming days.

On closing the meeting, President Raul Castro stressed the need to deal with the remaining problems using accumulated wisdom and resorting to best practices and the lessons learned during previous natural disasters. In this regard, he pointed to the actions deployed in Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo provinces following the impact of hurricanes Sandy in 2012 and Matthew in 2016.