"Cubans in the eastern part of the island experienced the longest night they can remember between late Tuesday and early Wednesday morning, when Hurricane Melissa battered their already strained lives, marked by an ongoing economic, energy, and health crisis. The storm hit hardest in the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Camaguey, Las Tunas, Guantanamo, and Holguin. These six territories bore the brunt of the Category 4 hurricane (on a scale of 5) on the Saffir-Simpson scale,"
"She says that around 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, with the rains at their peak, she heard her neighbors on the floor above her screaming because they were trapped in the water. But the night was just beginning. Hours later, strong winds began. It felt like a lion roaring, she says. We wanted it to be 2:00 a.m., the expected time for the center of the hurricane to make landfall, and for it to pass quickly."
Eastern Cuba endured an extended, violent overnight storm as Hurricane Melissa made landfall around 3:00 a.m. with sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour. The provinces hardest hit included Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Camaguey, Las Tunas, Guantanamo, and Holguin. Residents reported roofs blown off, walls collapsing, trees creaking, and sandbags swept into the air. Around 9:00 p.m., neighbors were heard screaming as floodwaters trapped people, and the winds later felt like 'a lion roaring.' Interaction with the Sierra Maestra mountains reduced winds to about 165 km/h before Melissa exited near Banes as a Category 2 around 10:30 a.m. Residents began damage assessments at dawn.
Read at english.elpais.com
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