Havana, Cuba.-The Cuban Civil Defense General Staff decreed today the stage of alert for this country”s eastern region, faced with the imminent path of hurricane Irma, which is affecting several territories in the insular Caribbean.
According to the report by the Forecast Center at the Cuban Meteorology Institute (INSMET), Irma continues to be a category-five hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale moving west northwest. It increased its movement speed to 26 kilometers per hour. Thus, its expected to affect Cuba in the next 48-72 hours.
According to the second communique, issued by the Civil Defense, the provinces that entered the alert stage, starting from 10:00 hours were Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Holguin, Las Tunas, Camaguey, Ciego de Avila and Villa Clara.
The authorities decided to maintain the information stage of the protection mechanism against disasters for Sancti Spiritus, Cienfuegos and Matanzas and recommended that the western provinces of Havana, and Mayabeque continued paying attention to the INSMET reports.
After declaring the hurricane alert, faced with the danger of Irma hitting the country’s eastern region, the central-eastern city of Camaguey is currently stepping up the measures to preserve human lives and protect economic resources in the largest Cuban territory.
More than 320,000 inhabitants in the city, which is World Cultural Heritage, are getting ready, faced with the proximity of the dangerous hurricane that should hit the Cuban eastern region in the coming hours, according to reports by the Weather Forecast Department.
The Provincial Defense Council in Camaguey is working restlessly and giving directions to the population about preventative measures. Besides, the disaster reduction plans are being adjusted, and the authorities are preparing the conditions and provisions for the evacuation centers and other essential facilities.
Irma crossed the island of Barbuda this early morning and was moving to the Lesser Antilles with maximum sustained winds of 296 kilometers per hour and higher gusts.