Over 1,000 Evacuated In Central Cuba Due To Heavy Rain

Over 1,000 Evacuated In Central Cuba Due To Heavy Rain

HAVANA, Oct 29 (BERNAMA-NNN-XINHUA) -- More than a thousand people have
been evacuated in Cuba's central province of Villa Clara due to heavy
rains that started Friday.

Major Isidro Sanchez Alfonso, section head of National Civil Defence
(NCD) in Villa Clara, said a total of 1,433 people were evacuated, and
most of them were residents of the towns of Encrucijada, Sagua la Chica,
Camajuani and Caibarien, local media sources reported Monday.

The official said 1,354 of those evacuated went to stay with relatives
or neighbours, and the rest were transferred to shelters.

According to figures issued by the state-run Water Company, in the past
72 hours, as much as 12.5 to 32.7 cm of rain has fallen in parts of the
province, with dams filled to 83.7 per cent of their capacity after
reaching 847 million cubic metres of water.

Forecasts from the National Meteorology Institute, meanwhile, warn that
rain will continue to fall in central Cuba.

Cuba's civil defence agency is internationally acknowledged for its
handling of extreme weather events and the subsequent lower rate of
human loss and economic damage.

Source: BERNAMA - Over 1,000 Evacuated In Central Cuba Due To Heavy Rain
- <http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v7/wn/newsworld.php?id=989152>