The province of Santiago de Cuba is reporting severe damage today due to meteorological conditions associated with Hurricane Melissa, whose center made landfall early this morning in the municipality of Guamá, at the foot of the "Sierra Maestra."

The President of the Provincial Defense Council, Beatriz Johnson, reported that constant communication has been maintained with radio amateurs to monitor the hurricane's evolution in real time. T

Hours before the center crossed the coastline, torrential rains, intense sustained winds, and coastal flooding were recorded.

In the city of Santiago de Cuba, the Zona + cultural center suffered a complete shattering of its glass facade, while several streets remain flooded due to the intense precipitation.

The situation became critical in the town of El Cobre, where the rising river has triggered landslides. In the locality of Loma del Cimarrón, 17 people, including children and the elderly, keep isolated in a house, while rescue teams worked on their immediate evacuation.

In Palma Soriano, the Charco Mono dam overflowed after receiving more than 150 millimeters of rain in less than an hour, representing a highly complex hydrological risk.

"The priority is people's lives," Johnson emphasized, confirming that rescue and salvage operations remain active throughout the province.

The central region of the storm made landfall at 3:05 a.m. (local time) near Chivirico, in the municipality of Guamá, with maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour (km/h) and a central pressure of 952 hectopascals, according to the Forecast Center of the Institute of Meteorology.

Melissa moving out to sea near Banes, Holguín province; however, Granma, Santiago de Cuba, and Holguín will continue to experience hurricane-force winds throughout the morning.

On the southern coast, storm surges are reaching waves of four to six meters, with the possibility of reaching up to eight meters, causing moderate to severe flooding in low-lying areas. (CubaSí)