Cuba prepares for the worst before the imminent arrival of Hurricane 'Ian'

Two people travel on a cart pulled by a horse, in Coloma, a town in the province of Pinar del Río through which hurricane 'Ian' is expected to enter. Yander Zamora (EFE)

What Cuba lacked: coinciding with one of the worst economic and social crises in its history, the arrival of a powerful hurricane that could devastate the west of the country and cause a serious humanitarian catastrophe.

There are only a few hours left before storm

crosses the island -on Tuesday morning- through an unspecified point in the province of Pinar del Río, some 200 kilometers west of Havana, if it does not change course at the last minute.

Evacuations of people living in low-lying areas of the south and north western coast of the Isla de la Juventud and the provinces of Pinar del Río, Artemisa, Mayabeque and also the capital have already begun.

More than 100,000 Cubans could be affected and have to move in the next few hours.

Thousands of people work to protect goods, crops and material resources that could be damaged by the heavy rains and winds associated with the storm, of 155 kilometers per hour and more, which, if it hit with all its force, could create a very serious situation on an island that lives from day to day.

The blackouts and draconian shortages have hit the population brutally for months and in most homes there is hardly any logistics to resist, or stores to stock up, if the worst forecasts of a weather event like this are confirmed.

Cuban civil defense agencies at times like this usually work like clockwork, and that is a guarantee.

But nobody knows what can happen, nor the magnitude of the damage, it is something that will have to be evaluated later.

The truth is that, just in case, Cuba and Cubans are already preparing for the worst.

The deterioration of the weather is evident in the Isle of Youth and the west of the country.

What is most worrying are the intense rains, after heavy rains in recent days that have saturated the soil and can cause flooding.

In much of the country, classes and teaching activities have been suspended, as well as the entry of boarding students.

In Pinar del Río, the authorities ordered on Monday to accelerate the evacuation of some 50,000 people, of which about 6,000 will be housed in state centers and the rest in the homes of relatives and friends.

In this province, whose prognosis is the worst, since

public transport was paralyzed at noon and from seven o'clock at night the circulation of pedestrians and vehicles on public roads was prohibited.

Heavy rains and winds of up to 70 kilometers per hour are forecast in Havana from early Tuesday morning.

Ian

also threatens Mexico

The hurricane's next stop after passing through Cuba will be the Mexican Caribbean.

The country's authorities announced this Monday that "meteorological phenomena are expected in the coming days that could represent a risk to the population."

The states most directly affected are Quintana Roo, Yucatán and Campeche.

Damages are also expected in more inland areas, such as San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, Puebla, or the south coast: Tabasco, Oaxaca and Chiapas.

In that case, the hurricane would be downgraded to a cold front.

Ian

, which this Monday reached category two, registers winds of up to 155 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 195. “Its wide cloud bands will cause very strong punctual rains in Quintana Roo and Yucatán, as well as heavy rains in Campeche, which could cause landslides and floods in low-lying areas,” adds the Mexican meteorological authority.

In addition, "winds of 60 to 80 kilometers per hour and waves of two to four meters in height are expected, as well as a cyclonic tide of two to three meters on the coasts of Quintana Roo and the northeast of Yucatan."

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