Cuba's eastern Granma region has been ravaged by heavy rain, leading to widespread flooding and causing at least two fatalities, as reported by BBC News. The torrential downpours, brought by the remnants of Hurricane Agatha, have caused significant damage and forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes.
The aftermath of Hurricane Agatha, which claimed the lives of nine individuals on June 5, has been particularly devastating for Western and central areas of Cuba, including Havana. The Cuban weather service has warned that the heavy rain would persist until the afternoon of June 10, with some areas expected to receive more than 20cm (8in) of rainfall.
A 60-year-old man lost his life in the municipality of Jiguani, Granma region, after the Bayamo river overflowed its banks, according to local reports. The floods have not only resulted in casualties but have also caused severe disruptions to communities, cutting off several villages, destroying crops, and leading to power outages. The authorities in Granma have revealed that over 7,000 individuals have been evacuated to state-run shelters or family homes, and approximately 10,000 homes have suffered damage as a result of the flooding.
The island's Meteorological Institute attributes the showers and thunderstorms to a combination of a trough in the middle and upper levels of the atmosphere and a flow of humid air from the south. Weather authorities have issued forecasts for continued heavy rains over the next 24 hours, further exacerbating the situation and heightening concerns for the affected communities.
Cuba, like other countries in the Caribbean region, frequently experiences natural catastrophes such as tropical depressions, storms, and hurricanes, which significantly increase the risk of flooding. The impacts of hurricanes, including Irma (2017), Matthew (2009), Ike (2008), and Gustav (2008), have been well-documented in Cuba, causing extreme flooding incidents that have had a devastating toll on the country.
The occurrence of weather phenomena like El Niño and La Niña further adds to the challenges faced by the region. These climate patterns, part of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), result in alternating warm and cool phases in the tropical Pacific, leading to changes in ocean surface temperatures and disruptions in wind and rainfall patterns. The irregular cycle of El Niño and La Niña can have severe consequences on seasonal climates, including winter in the United States, spring's severe weather seasons, and the hurricane seasons in the Atlantic and Pacific regions, according to Climate Gov.
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