By Rene Tamayo Leon on October 28, 2025 from Havana
foto: Abel Padrón Padilla
Melissa 
“is a very powerful hurricane; it is classified as a Category Five. Due to its characteristics, it is considered one of the strongest, most severe hurricanes, or perhaps the strongest that has ever passed through the national territory,” said the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, addressing our compatriots on the eve of the country being hit by this dangerous cyclone.
“Hurricane Melissa will be affecting the national territory and should already be feeling its main effects in the afternoon and evening today. According to forecasts, it will pass through the country with full force tonight and early tomorrow morning, and will be leaving the national territory tomorrow afternoon,” he reported.
Emphasizing the magnitude of the event and the need for the population to understand the risk it poses, Díaz-Canel reminded that forecasts indicate that Melissa will bring winds with speeds above 160 miles per hour, speeds that, he stressed, can destroy any type of facility that is not adequately prepared.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canel
“Therefore,” he reiterated, “we ask once again that, taking advantage of the hours we have left before it passes, our entire population be located in safe areas to face this hurricane. We insist on this very strongly. And that depends greatly, in addition to the measures that have been taken—on the efficiency of those measures—on the responsibility with which everyone acts.”
“It is the duty and responsibility of every Cuban citizen in the areas that will be affected by this hurricane to reflect on and comply with this call and this communication.”
At the beginning of his message to our people, Díaz-Canel said that in recent days, “after analyzing the forecast of the damage that this hurricane could cause, the defense council bodies, from the country’s structure to the defense zones, have been working intensively to comply with all the measures and actions that are planned in each of the phases for dealing with meteorological events of this type.”
“I believe,” he added, “that they have worked intensively, with great responsibility, dedication, and effort, in a timely and consistent manner. This has allowed us to have a high number of people evacuated to safe places, and measures have been taken to protect the main resources of the economy and also the possessions of people living mainly in areas vulnerable to flooding, high water, or other types of danger.”
In recent days, the Cuban president later said, “all measures have been taken and there is significant experience in our country, from the organization of the Civil Defense and the entire organization of our territorial defense system, to deal with this and then work on recovering from the damage caused by these climatic events.
”Now,“ Díaz-Canel reiterated, ”the most important thing is that we all act responsibly. The population must strictly comply with the measures and guidelines issued by the defense agencies at the zone, municipal, provincial, and national levels.
Elaborating on the precautions that have been taken during these days at all levels, the President pointed out that sometimes “people ask us why so many measures are being taken if the weather is fine. “Well,” he said, “that’s the nature of this type of event. The weather is fine just before the hurricane hits, but that’s the time to take action, because once the hurricane passes with its devastating effect, there is no time left to do anything else.
“Therefore,” he stressed, “measures must be taken now, with caution, and that is why the phases were declared in advance, so that there would be plenty of time to work.
“And that commitment, that effort,” the president warned, “cannot be undermined by anyone’s irresponsibility. Therefore, no one should venture to bathe in the swollen rivers. No one should return from evacuation sites to their homes or residences until instructions have been given to return or to move on to the recovery phase in each of the territories.
Díaz-Canel stressed that what is needed now is “good citizen behavior, the creation of an atmosphere of solidarity, cooperation, and respect for the measures that have been implemented so that, first of all, we do not have to mourn the loss of human lives and, secondly, the effects and material damage can be mitigated.”
The Head of State recalled at another point in his speech that, as part of the measures that have been adopted, “multiple brigades are already in the eastern region of the country—that is, where the provinces that will be most affected by the hurricane are located—to work on recovering from the damage caused by the hurricane. There are already electricity brigades, water resource brigades, communication brigades, and construction brigades that will work together with the forces of each territory to repair the damage.”
“In addition,” he reported, “the agencies of the United Nations System have made available to the country, in advance, a group of resources for aid and assistance to the victims, which are already decentralized.” These, Díaz-Canel pointed out, are “actions we are taking in advance to address the recovery.”
In his message to the people, the Cuban president also reported that after the hurricane passes, there will, of course, be a call for everyone to participate in order to recover from the damage as quickly as possible.
“There will be a lot of work to do. We know that this cyclone will cause a great deal of damage due to its characteristics, as already explained, but we will have all the capacity to recover in terms of food production, the restoration of homes that have been destroyed or damaged, the recovery of the economy, and also the recovery and vitality of the country’s main productive and social processes.
“Once again,” Díaz-Canel affirmed, “we can count on the unity of our people, on the experience gained during these years of Revolution in dealing with situations like this, and on the heroism and resilience of the Cuban people. Together we will overcome. Strength, Cuba!”
Source: Cubadebate, translation Resumen Latinoamericano – English