Cuba's Big Flood: How a Hurricane Turned a River into a Giant Problem

Hurricane Melissa left Cuba in a tough spot. The storm, one of the strongest to hit the Caribbean, dumped a ton of rain. This caused the Rio Cauto, Cuba's longest river, to overflow. The floodwaters cut off a major road. This road connects Havana in the west to big cities like Santiago and Guantanamo in the east. People in Rio Cauto thought the water would go down at night. But it didn't. Eduardo Verdecia, an 83-year-old resident, said his house had never flooded before. Now, the water was almost up to his roof. He wasn't alone. Over 800 people had to be evacuated from riverside towns. Before the storm, Cuba moved 735, 000 people to safety. Tourists were also moved to hotels inland. But the damage is still huge. Floods destroyed roads and crops. Making things worse, Cuba is already in a big economic crisis. There are shortages of food, fuel, and medicine. Other countries offered to help. Venezuela and United Nations agencies stepped up. Even the U. S. said they were ready to help. But Cuba said the U. S. hadn't given any details yet.