Saturday, November 03, 2007

Rainfall record set in Eastern Cuba

Rainfall record set in Eastern Cuba
Published on Saturday, November 3, 2007

HAVANA, Cuba (ACN): October's rains and, in particular, those associated
with Tropical Storm Noel have brought a water storage record in the
eastern provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Guatanamo, while the weather
system, that became a hurricane on Friday morning, continues to affect
this region of Cuba.

The National Water Resources Institute has reported in Granma that all
ten water reservoirs reached a whopping total storage of 981 million
cubic meters this Friday, which is above its 940-million capacity.

The largest reservoir in eastern Cuba, Cauto del Paso reportedly is
holding 14 million cubic meters of water over its 330 million top level,
which is also a record in the storage history of the reservoir.

Cauto del Paso is releasing its water at a rate of 2,200 cubic meters
per second.

According to the Provincial Defence Council, more than 2,000 people were
evacuated to shelters and the houses of friends or relatives. The number
of evacuees is expected to grow, as weather forecasts say that the rains
will continue.

Meanwhile in Santiago de Cuba, local authorities have reported that
October has been the wettest month in the province since the passing of
Hurricane Flora in 1963.

National Water Resources Institute's estimates show that f October's
rainfall exceeded the annual average by 314 percent.

Jesus Infante, vice president of the Civil Defence Council, said the
Cuban government allocated considerable amounts of timber and tiles for
roof repair in Bayamo, even though an accurate damage assessment has not
been made yet.

http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/news-4294--5-5--.html

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