Cuba, Hurricane Melissa: Flash Update No. 6 (As of 8 November, 2025)

HIGHLIGHTS

• More than a week after Hurricane Melissa passed, collapsed bridges, blocked roads, and debris accumulation continue to hinder access to more than dozens of isolated communities.
• About 54,000 people remain evacuated. As the authorities' assessments progress, the damage figures in educational centers, health institutions, housing and crops continue to increase.
• The most recent report from the authorities indicates that a total of 1,312,000 people were protected even before the hurricane hit, including those evacuated to official shelters such as the homes of family and friends.
• The UN Resident Coordinator, accompanied by national authorities and strategic partners, is conducting a field mission to observe firsthand the magnitude of the hurricane’s impact on the affected communities. The delivery of humanitarian assistance already mobilized to the area continues.

642 healthcare institutions damaged
2,117educational centers damaged
103, 213 hectares of crops damaged
76,700 homes affected
54,000 people in shelters

SUMMARY OF THE SITUATION

As the extent of the damage becomes clearer, the impact continues to grow in the provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Granma — the two most severely hit by Hurricane Melissa.
More than 54,000 people remain evacuated, 7,500 of them in state centers.

The number of damaged educational centers has risen to 2,117, which represents 41% of the 5,177 institutions in the sector across the affected provinces of Granma, Guantánamo, Holguín, Las Tunas, and Santiago de Cuba. At least 60 schools have suffered total collapse of their roofs and structures. Of these, 50% have been completely restored, while more than 1,058 schools are still seriously affected. The provinces of Holguin and Santiago de Cuba continue to be the ones with the greatest reported damage.
Assessments have not yet been completed in some municipalities, primarily in Santiago de Cuba. The main damages are concentrated in infrastructure, including roofs (light coverings and waterproof tarps), carpentry, furniture, school supplies, among other impacts.

Where it has not been possible to use schools, education has continued in the homes of families and teachers. More than 1,800 schools (36 per cent of the total) have resumed the academic year following intense recovery efforts, most of them in the provinces of Las Tunas and Holguín, and around 219 in Granma. School is expected to resume in Guantánamo by November 10, while the most complex situation is in Santiago de Cuba, where a gradual reopening is being considered starting Monday.
Civil Defense has estimated that approximately 76,700 homes have been affected, most of them with roof damage. A total of 47,753 homes sustained partial roof damage, of which 2,190 have already been repaired by the local population themselves. Officials from the sector ministries have warned that the figures will rise once access is gained to areas that remain cut off.

The number of damaged healthcare institutions has risen to 642, with Santiago de Cuba (231) and Granma (144) being the hardest-hit provinces. Damage persists in 127 institutions in Holguín and 124 in Guantánamo, involving partial roof and carpentry damage. Four percent of these centers have been restored and are currently providing services to the population. A total of 33 medical-surgical brigades remain deployed across several eastern provinces.

In agriculture, the number rose to 103,213 hectares of damaged crops, with the largest losses in grains, cassava, plantains, and coffee. In some areas of Santiago de Cuba, the total impact on coffee crops has not yet been quantified due to ongoing flooding.

[[{"type":"media","fid":"108560","view_mode":"default","instance_fields":"override","link_text":"flash_update_06_cuba_melissa_eng_81125.pdf"}]]