Las Tunas is already in the information phase due to the proximity of Tropical Storm Laura, whose winds and intense rains will begin to affect Cuba as of Sunday afternoon.
Las Tunas.– In this regard, Manuel René Pérez Gallego, president of the Provincial Defense Council, told all institutions and companies in the territory to take the measures included in this phase and urged the population to comply with the Civil Defense instructions.
“Laura,” which has maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour and is moving towards La Española, will begin to affect eastern Cuba as of Sunday. For this reason, the General Staff of Civil Defense established the information phase for the five eastern provinces. The province of Pinar del Río and the municipality of Isla de la Juventud are also in a similar stage, but due to the impact of the rains associated with tropical storm Marco.
In accordance with the strategy designed here for disaster prevention, the Provincial Defense Council held on Saturday morning a contact with the corresponding management structures of all municipalities.
Among its main indications was the assessment of the areas most prone to flooding, as the main effects of the meteor are expected to be caused by heavy rains. For this purpose, urgent dredging actions were directed, as well as information to the inhabitants of the low-lying areas so that regardless of government action, each family conveniently ensures their physical integrity and that of their property. Likewise, it reviewed the buildings planned to act as evacuation centers or shelter houses, in accordance with the current health regulations of the COVID-19.
The universities of Las Tunas and of Medical Sciences, both in the provincial capital, began to prepare to receive the people who could be evacuated in the next few hours in the main city of Tunis; while other educational centers in all municipalities are enabled with a similar purpose.
At the same time, the CDP's indications underlined the importance of ensuring basic services to the population such as potable water and the location in safe buildings of food and other vital products for the economy.
During this Saturday, the corresponding response groups began to be activated to restore as quickly as possible any possible damage to Laura's electrical and telecommunications networks, as well as streets and highways due to the fall of trees. At the same time, the health system ensures the availability of medicines and other essential medical supplies, all in the midst of the permanent confrontation with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture reported that at least 2,500 animals will be evacuated to high places and that both the harvest and the sale of agricultural products in the main markets of the territory will increase during the morning of this Sunday. Similarly, authorities of the Commerce Company announced that the province has the necessary wheat flour to ensure the bread production planned for the next six days.
Some 130 people staying at the camping sites were evacuated this Saturday and similar measures are taken with all the vacationers who are in the summer areas of La Boca and La Llanita beaches, in the municipality of Puerto Padre.
The Provincial Defense Council urged citizens to remain attentive to information on the evolution of tropical storm Laura and to comply with the guidelines of the authorities and Civil Defense.
