735,000 people evacuated in Cuba due to the approaching Hurricane Melissa

In Cuba, 735,000 people were evacuated due to the approaching Hurricane Melissa. This was announced on October 29 by the President of the Republic, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez.

"More than 735,000 people have been evacuated, and work is still ongoing. It will be a very difficult night for the whole of Cuba, but we will cope, always keeping faith in victory," the politician wrote on his page on the social network X (ex. Twitter).

The US National Hurricane Center, in turn, noted that the hurricane had already made landfall in the province of Santiago de Cuba, near the city of Civirico, at about 3:10 a.m. eastern time (10:00 GMT), with a maximum sustained wind speed of about 195 km/h.

Blowing downwind: Hurricane Melissa threatens the entire Caribbean region

Jamaica is preparing to face the most devastating consequences in the last century.

Earlier, on October 26, it was reported that the speed of tropical storm Melissa increased to 150 km/h, which makes it possible to classify it as a hurricane of the first category.

On October 29, the Associated Press reported that about 540,000 homes and buildings in Jamaica, accounting for 77% of electricity consumers, were de-energized due to Hurricane Melissa. Denis, a Jamaican resident, also told Izvestia that the city hospital in St. Elizabeth County was almost completely destroyed due to heavy winds.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.