ReliefWeb

The tornado of 27 January 2019 was registered as an EF4 * with a speed of winds that reached 300 km/h, higher than a category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Four people are reported dead and a total of 195 injured.1,238 homes affected, of which 123 are total landslides and 224 completely lost the roof. Eleven health institutions, 46 schools with different levels of damage and 21 day care centers have been affected. 220,000 people remain affected in the electric service. The most complex situation continues at the Daughters of Galicia maternity hospital, from which 196 patients were evacuated. (UNCT Cuba, 29 Jan 2019)

According to the assessment of the damage caused by the tornado - affecting several municipalities of the Cuban capital – the impact was so severe that Havana’s inhabitants started to refer to the weather event as "The Tornado of the Century". The number of families left homeless or with severely damaged houses has yet to be defined. The initial number of affected homes raised from 1,901 to 3,513. The trend is still increasing as people report the damages of their properties to the Oficinas de Trámites, operating at the community level. More than 4,800 people have been protected: 4,783 people are currently living in homes of relatives and friends and 164 in state facilities. The president of the Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INRH)...reported that the water pumping in the affected areas has already been restored. He also estimated that more than 350,000 people could not receive water services following the passage of the tornado...The United Nations Team for Disaster Management in Cuba (UNDMT) has activated its disaster response mechanisms and continues to analyze the main damage after the tornado. [OCHA] is in close contact with the Office of the Resident Coordinator and is sending an expert to support in the response. (UNCT Cuba, 4 Feb 2019)

Th[e] Plan of Action includes the mobilization of $14,391,461 to respond to the urgent needs of 253,682 people affected by the tornado in the 14 People´s Councils that suffered the greatest impact. Actions in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Education, Health (including sexual and reproductive health), Food Security and Early Recovery and Housing sectors are included. A multi-sectorial response approach has been designed to guarantee a comprehensive benefit to families with humanitarian needs...The short term response actions will be executed within six months, while the medium and long term processes of early recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction will take between 12 to 18 months. (UNCT Cuba, 13 Feb 2019)