UN says Hurricane Melissa severely damaged eastern Cuba; anticipatory action prepositioned
October 31, 2025 | United Nations, Federal
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Francisco Pichon, the United Nations resident coordinator for Cuba, said Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Santiago de Cuba and battered eastern provinces with sustained winds above 200 km/h and very heavy rainfall.
"Melissa is now classified as one of the three most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in Cuba, the strongest worldwide in 2025 so far," Pichon said, noting the storm struck directly in the province of Santiago de Cuba.
Pichon described preliminary impact assessments as still unfolding but said more than 3,000,000 people had been exposed to life-threatening conditions and that dozens of municipalities in the east suffered significant damage. He said no fatalities had been reported to that point but that nearly 240 communities were cut off by flooding and landslides and that housing, health facilities, schools, power lines and telecommunications had been affected. He also said food production and farmland had been compromised.
Pichon credited Cuba's civil defence system and decades of disaster preparedness for enabling large-scale evacuations. "More than 735,000 people were safely evacuated to protection centers," he said, adding that many of those centers were schools repurposed after classes were suspended.
The United Nations and national authorities activated an anticipatory action mechanism supported by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to preposition relief items. Pichon said about five UN agencies deployed prepositioned assistance near affected areas before Melissa's impact, and he thanked the Central Emergency Response Fund for supporting anticipatory work.
He said the UN and Cuban authorities were preparing a joint action plan to assist roughly 2,000,000 people across six humanitarian sectorsood security, health, education, shelter and housing, water and sanitation, and logistics
nd expected to launch the plan in the coming days.
Pichon warned the emergency response was complicated by drought, rising arboviral disease risk, a fragile energy situation with frequent blackouts and by financial constraints linked to the blockade and sanctions that limit access to some international financial markets. He said broad international support would be needed to finance response and recovery.
Next steps, he said, include completing damage and needs assessments, coordinating the joint action plan with national and local partners, and mobilizing additional funding and supplies for the sectors identified.
"Melissa is now classified as one of the three most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in Cuba, the strongest worldwide in 2025 so far," Pichon said, noting the storm struck directly in the province of Santiago de Cuba.
Pichon described preliminary impact assessments as still unfolding but said more than 3,000,000 people had been exposed to life-threatening conditions and that dozens of municipalities in the east suffered significant damage. He said no fatalities had been reported to that point but that nearly 240 communities were cut off by flooding and landslides and that housing, health facilities, schools, power lines and telecommunications had been affected. He also said food production and farmland had been compromised.
Pichon credited Cuba's civil defence system and decades of disaster preparedness for enabling large-scale evacuations. "More than 735,000 people were safely evacuated to protection centers," he said, adding that many of those centers were schools repurposed after classes were suspended.
The United Nations and national authorities activated an anticipatory action mechanism supported by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to preposition relief items. Pichon said about five UN agencies deployed prepositioned assistance near affected areas before Melissa's impact, and he thanked the Central Emergency Response Fund for supporting anticipatory work.
He said the UN and Cuban authorities were preparing a joint action plan to assist roughly 2,000,000 people across six humanitarian sectorsood security, health, education, shelter and housing, water and sanitation, and logistics
nd expected to launch the plan in the coming days.
Pichon warned the emergency response was complicated by drought, rising arboviral disease risk, a fragile energy situation with frequent blackouts and by financial constraints linked to the blockade and sanctions that limit access to some international financial markets. He said broad international support would be needed to finance response and recovery.
Next steps, he said, include completing damage and needs assessments, coordinating the joint action plan with national and local partners, and mobilizing additional funding and supplies for the sectors identified.
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