October 21st 2024.
The island of Cuba was hit hard by Tropical Storm Oscar on Sunday, bringing heavy rains and strong winds to an area that was already struggling with a major power outage. The storm had just passed by the Bahamas before making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in the eastern province of Guantanamo. With maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, Oscar was no small force to be reckoned with.
As the storm moved west-northwest at a slow pace of 6 mph, Cuban media reported thunderstorms, rain, and moderate flooding in the eastern provinces. The city of Baracoa, near where Oscar made landfall, suffered damage to roofs and walls, while the coast was battered by 2-meter swells. In response to the storm, authorities had set up 20 evacuation centers to ensure the safety of residents.
According to forecasters, Oscar was expected to continue its path over eastern Cuba before turning northeast and heading towards the central Bahamas on Tuesday. The storm was predicted to bring 6 to 12 inches of rain to the eastern part of the country, with some areas experiencing up to 18 inches of rainfall. A storm surge of up to 3 feet on the north shore of Cuba was also a potential threat.
Earlier on Sunday, Oscar had already made landfall on Great Inagua island in the Bahamas, and was causing concern for coastal flooding and heavy rain. This added to the ongoing challenges that Cuba was facing, as it struggled to recover from a major blackout that had left millions without power for two days last week. While some progress had been made in restoring electricity by Saturday, the arrival of Oscar was a setback to the recovery efforts.
Philippe Papin of the National Hurricane Center shared that the transformation of Oscar into a hurricane had been somewhat unexpected. "Unfortunately the system kind of snuck up a little bit on us," he said. In addition, Tropical Storm Nadine had also formed off the coast of Mexico on the same day, but had since weakened into a tropical depression as it moved over land. As the region continues to face the impacts of these storms, it is important to stay vigilant and take necessary precautions to stay safe.
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