In a special appearance broadcast by TunasVisión on Monday afternoon, the president of the Provincial Defense Council (CDP) in Las Tunas, Osbel Lorenzo Rodríguez, detailed the extensive preparations in this eastern Cuban province in response to the imminent threat of Hurricane Melissa, which is currently ravaging Jamaica as Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
“We have worked and 193 evacuation centers are prepared. We have to evacuate 72,000 citizens within the territory personally. Of these, 66.8 percent will go to the homes of relatives or neighbors, and the other 33.2 percent will go to evacuation centers,” stated the first secretary of the Party in Las Tunas, who added that “all these places have health personnel. Work is also being done on medical support.”
The president of the CDP explained the electricity service plan in detail: “We have 30 megawatts (MW) here, which is the demand of the non-shutdown circuits, out of the total demand in the territory, which amounts to 106 MW. Those 30 MW are for the hospitals.”
Regarding the disconnection protocol, he was emphatic: “When the wind speed reaches 60 to 65 kilometers per hour, we must disconnect. Even if there hasn't been a fault, we must disconnect to avoid accidents.”
Regarding the recovery phase, he explained: “We already have some fuel in the province, which is not for today, but for when the blackout occurs. Using distributed generation, we would begin working on the so-called 'generation islands'.”
Lorenzo Rodríguez reported on the specific measures to protect investments in renewable energy. "What has been done to the photovoltaic parks? They've been securing the table legs, as this part is called."
He explained that "the investment, when it's made, comes with all the necessary elements, comes with something to secure the leg against cyclones, and a kind of tape is also placed over, which helps with protection." The same level of safety applies to the wind farm and all investments in the region, he added.
The president of the highest governing body established for exceptional situations, warned of the existence of 88 flood zones throughout Las Tunas, with 15 at high risk of being cut off during the meteorological event. The province's dams are at 41 percent of their total capacity; however, he emphasized that they will be vigilant against rainfall in the neighboring provinces of Camagüey and Holguín, as several rivers flow into the Las Tunas reservoirs.
Lorenzo Rodríguez acknowledged the serious difficulties with the water supply in Las Tunas. “This province is one of the driest in the country. We have 512 communities to which we are delivering water by tanker trucks.”
“We have to be more supportive than ever, more united than ever. We must protect ourselves. We have to safeguard the resources we have, because then there always appears the opportunist, the scoundrel, the one who is accustomed to committing misdeeds and wants to take advantage of the situation,” Lorenzo Rodríguez added.
He was also emphatic when referring to discipline. “We have worked hard on this issue. We must eliminate unnecessary mobility. People should not be going out at this time, at least if it is strictly necessary.”
The CDP president concluded with a forceful message: "Regarding the search for information, we must dedicate ourselves to listening to those who truly want to send the information and not to those who are seeking to distort it. Therefore, the call is for solidarity, humanism, aid, and for us to contribute to one another; for unity and the defense of life above all else."