I have just found this article on the site of Radio Holguin. I know that it rained there several times whilst I was in Cuba though it did not reach the resorts.
On Sunday 25th June I had just finished dinner at Loma de la Cruz at around 7pm and had driven a friend of mine back to her house when a terrible thunderstorm hit. I drove back to the PCV once it had finished and the roads were deserted:
HOLGUIN
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One dead and several other damages in Holguin
Holguin is today witnessing what it just used to watch on TV only
By Mildred Legra Colon
mildred@enet.cu
Holguin, Cuba. - More than five thousand houses underwent damages of some kind in Holguin city after the flooding of the rivers Jigue and Maranon, two tributaries that cross this north-eastern Cuban town, streams that in less than two hours overflowed after the intense rains from past Wednesday and Thursday.
More than 100 ml fell over this territory where dwellers were surprised by these cloudbursts -the first one was a real strong blow of water.
Everybody thought it was just the regular rains that are falling here since the middle of May as a blessing -this north-eastern zone was undergoing an intense drought.
Many neighbors saw a tremendous force of water coming unexpectedly carrying with it different size remains.
"We didn't have time to save neither mattresses nor any piece of furniture nor the home appliances we had. It just happened so fast we didn't think the river would reach our houses in such a violent way", Josefa, a city resident, says.
According to local authorities, more than five thousand houses were flooded, seven partially damaged and one -on Luz y Caballero street- collapsed after the stream force.
About seven bridges that link Holguin downtown with different quarters were also fatally impacted by the crazy waters. So far one deceased was reported.
Such climate event damaged many people's belongings as mattresses, beds and home appliances that were taken to the street so that the morning sun could do some cleaning too before the possible afternoon rains come back again.
An emergency plan aimed at informing the people on the way to protect their private belongings, freeing sewers from mud and other alien matters, and dredging the rivers that cross the city will be among the measures to be undertaken soon so as to prevent the disastrous consequences of a similar meteorological event from happening.
For more than ten years almost, this north-eastern territory was beat by a long and intense drought that required both from the state and the people much effort to face it, however, the recent rains have improved the situation of the province dams and the aquifer as well.
Since May 15 on, dams capacity have increased so far in 115 million cubic meters, something that didn't happen here since 1998, as specialists from the Hydraulic Resources company confirmed.
Radio Angulo Digital 07/07/06
Topic: Re: Floods in Holguin (Read 2266 times)