Photo: Secret Nature

By Roberto Morejón

June is usually rainy in Cuba, but June 2024 has left the inhabitants of the archipelago amazed by the frequency and intensity of rainfall.

Attentive to the reports of meteorological experts, Cubans follow the course of troughs, low pressure systems and other situations, common at this time of year, but no less risky.

Last weekend was particularly stormy for much of the greater Antilles, especially in the west.

In Havana, the impressive succession of partial floods was repeated, since in some places calm was not recovered until after five hours, with accumulations of up to more than one hundred millimeters of rain.

The rising waters flooded streets, broke into homes and interrupted vehicle and pedestrian traffic, partly also caused by the obstruction of certain drains, which cannot be routinely reached due to existing limitations.

The flood affected the fragile housing support, suffering from lack of maintenance due to lack of material and financial resources, aggravated by the US blockade and the inclusion of Cuba in an arbitrary list of sponsors of terrorism, according to Washington's perspective.

The weekend prevented many Havana residents and residents in other provinces from taking their break to dedicate themselves to repairing breakdowns, drying damaged utensils and helping to remove waste from the roads.

The arduous work, under the threat of more downpours, was extended to the repair of a tall building in Havana, where a fire broke out.

The response of capital officials, firefighters, rescue brigades, health personnel and law enforcement officers was immediate.

The explosion was controlled and later extinguished amid the expectation of Havana residents, especially residents in a densely populated area of ​​the capital.

Both due to the aforementioned event and the impetus of the recent storms that fell on saturated soils, it has been necessary for the authorities to appeal to the residents to calm down.

The exhortations are timely at any time of the year, but especially now when meteorologists warn about continued rainfall.

Cuba is exposed to the rainy season, which began timidly in May and hurricanes, whose number could be significant in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, experts warned.

Prudence, discipline, responsibility and willingness to collaborate to alleviate possible damage due to intense rains is what is expected of Cubans.