Skip to main content
BBC NEWS / AMERICAS
Graphics VersionBBC Sport Home
News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
Friday, 9 November 2007, 00:07 GMT

Cuba floods 'worst in 40 years'

Floods in the eastern Cuban province of Granma One person was killed and tens of thousands of homes damaged or destroyed in Cuba, in what the authorities say are the biggest floods in 40 years.

It was the first reported death in the country since the tropical storm Noel hit the Caribbean, killing at least 142 people across the region.

Of the 80,000 evacuated last week, half have not been able to return home.

Cuban authorities estimate the damage at around $500m, with sugar and coffee crops severely affected.

According to the ruling Communist Party daily, Granma, nearly 22,000 homes in the east of the country were damaged or destroyed.

Incessant rains which soaked the east of the country from 11 October to 5 November also wrecked thousand of kilometres of roads.

Officials said 50,000 hectares (123,000 acres) of sugar cane fields had been flooded or damaged.

Cuba has not seen such devastating floods since 1963, when Hurricane Flora killed over 1,100 people and destroyed more than 11,000 homes.



E-mail this to a friend
Related to this story:
Torrential rains lash east Cuba (30 Oct 07 |  Americas )
Tropical storm dumps rain on Cuba (28 Aug 06 |  Americas )
First Caribbean storm lashes Cuba (11 Jun 06 |  Americas )
Wilma hits Cuba as Florida braces (24 Oct 05 |  Americas )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Government of Cuba
Granma
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites



SEARCH BBC NEWS: 

News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |

NewsWatch | Notes | Contact us | About BBC News | Profiles | History

^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©