Rapid, Organized Response
to Tornado
Damage in Havana
- Yaima Puig Meneses -
At around 8:30 pm on Sunday, January
27 a
powerful tornado ripped through an area of eastern Havana,
causing
severe damages in four municipalities. It is reported to have
been the
strongest tornado to hit Cuba in nearly 80 years. Four lives were
lost
and 195 people were injured. The most recent report indicates
that
2,699 houses were affected, with 342 of them completely
destroyed.
Immediately after the tornado hit,
rescue,
cleanup and recovery efforts were put into motion by the Cuban
government, with brigades of workers from different sectors and
students mobilized to assist in the work and neighbours pitching
in to
help one another. The article that follows provides
information
on reports given and discussions held the day after the tornado
struck.
***
Council of Ministers' meeting, January 28, 2019.
After 8:00 pm, the evening of January 28, Cuban
President
Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez chaired another meeting
of the Council of Ministers to evaluate progress being made on
recovery efforts underway in Havana, after a tornado struck
several capital city municipalities, the night of January 27.
"Reinforcing attention to the population at times
like
these
is vital," the President insisted. Work was undertaken promptly,
beginning immediately after the disaster, and it is imperative to
explain to the people what is being done, he stated.
From this very moment, we must begin to gather
all the
experiences we have gained from this weather phenomenon, to
incorporate them in plans for disaster prevention and risk
reduction, he indicated.
Division General Ramón Pardo Guerra, head
of the
National Civil Defense General Staff, reported that, according to
an aerial inspection conducted the morning of January 28, "The
tornado developed close to the Casino Deportivo and weakened east
of Alamar.
"Estimates indicate that it travelled a distance
of
11.5 kilometres, at a speed of 42.6 kilometres an hour, over 16
minutes.
It began with an impact diameter of 500 metres, later widening to
1,000
metres at the end of its course," he explained.
At this point, he said, significant damage has
been
reported, such as totally and partially collapsed buildings,
fallen
trees and utility poles, broken doors and windows, as well as
automobiles and containers that were dragged and turned over by
the
strong winds. Expeditious work began early on the clearing and
collection of rubble across the city, he emphasized.
 
The number of deaths caused by the extreme
weather rose
to four and a total of 195 injuries had been reported, with these
individuals receiving attention in several hospitals, according
to Public Health Minister José Ángel Portal
Miranda. Material damage is concentrated in the municipalities of
Diez de Octubre, Regla, Guanabacoa, and San Miguel, he said, in
11 health care facilities.
The most difficult situation exists at the Hijas
de
Galicia
Maternal Hospital, from which 196 patients were evacuated, 18 of
whom were released and are now at home.
Regarding housing, Minister of Construction
René
Mesa
Villafaña confirmed that the greatest amount of damage was
to roof tops, which will need to be surveyed to begin deliveries
of repair materials.
Luis Antonio Torres Iríbar, Party first
secretary in Havana, reported that initial surveys indicate that
the
number of dwellings affected has reached 1,238, of which 123 have
totally collapsed and 625 partially, along with 224 that have
lost
their roofs entirely, and 124 to a lesser degree.
Given this information, President
Díaz-Canel
indicated
that, as soon as losses are specified, distribution of the
necessary resources to the population is to begin -- via the
different established means -- so that these problems can be
alleviated as soon as possible.
In terms of re-establishing electrical service,
Minister
of
Energy and Mines Raúl García Barreiro reported that
the issue should be resolved by January 31. Damage is
concentrated in overhead lines, including both transmission and
distribution lines, while only two substations remain out of
service,
those in Berroa and Guanabacoa, he said.
Antonio Rodríguez Rodríguez,
president of
the National Water Resources Institute, reported that damage to
the
system has been repaired. Affected neighbourhoods are being
served via
tank trucks and large water storage tanks have been placed at a
variety
of points accessible to the population.
More than 13,000 telephone lines have been
reported out
of operation at this time, informed Jorge Luis Perdomo Di-Lella,
minister of Communications, while 12 brigades of 80 power line
workers,
with specialized vehicles, are already working to re-establish
service.
Work is underway, as well, on the mobile phone network and WiFi
hotspots, as well as outdoor equipment, where the principal
damages are
concentrated.
The most significant agricultural impact was to
tobacco, in the Pinar del Río municipalities of San Juan
and San
Luis, sector Minister Gustavo Rodríguez Rollero reported.
Damage
to fields and greenhouses in areas that experienced heavy rain
are yet
to be accurately determined, he said. Iris Quiñones Rojas,
Minister of Food Industry, stated that during the early hours of
January 28, bread production was resumed, to ensure the basic
regulated
supply, despite the fact that 36 bakeries remain without
electricity.
Some 48 means of automotive transport are
estimated to
have suffered some type of damage, said the sector Minister,
Eduardo
Rodríguez Dávila. At the time of the meeting, he
reported
that the central rail line had been re-opened, and the Regla
ferry was
operating by early that morning, an important commuter service
for the
municipality. Minister of Economy and Planning Alejandro Gil
Fernández reported that the main resources needed to begin
recovery work are available.
Schools were projected to reopen January 29 at
all of
the
city's educational institutions, with alternate sites being
prepared in some cases, to avoid affecting the academic year,
said Minister of Education Ena Elsa Velázquez
Cobiella.
It was reported that as recovery work advances,
the
communications media will continue promptly providing the people
with all details.
This article was published in
Volume 49 Number 3 - February 2, 2019
Article Link:
Rapid, Organized Response
to Tornado
Damage in Havana - Yaima Puig Meneses
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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