Ref: OCHA/GVA - 2005/0177
Hurricane Wilma - The Caribbean
23 October 2005
This message is not an official hurricane
warning or alert for any country
1. The National Weather Center in Miami
reports that at 0900GMT today, the center of category II Hurricane Wilma
was located near latitude 22.1 North, longitude 86.6 West or about 40 miles
(65 km) southeast of Cancun, Mexico.
2. A Hurricane Warning is in effect
for all of the Florida Keys, including the Dry Torutgas and Florida Bay
along the Florida west coast Longboat Key southward and along the Florida
east coast from Titusville southward, including lake Okeechobee.
3. Tropical Storm Warning is in effect
along the Florida west coast north of Longboat Key to Steinhachee River
and along the Florida east coast north of Titusville to Flagler Beach.
A Tropical Storm Watch remains in effect along the coast of Florida from
north of Flagler Beach to Fernandina Beach.
4. A Hurricane Warning remains in from
San Felipe to Punta Gruesa on the Yucatan Peninsula, including Cozumel
and the nearby islands and a Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect west
of San Felipe to Progreso.
5. A Hurricane Warning remains
in effect for the Cuban provinces of La Habana, Ciudad de La Habana and
Pinar del Rio. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Isle of Youth.
A Hurricane Watch remains in effect for the Province of Matanzas.
6. A Hurricane Watch remains in effect
for the northwestern Bahamas, including the Abacos Andros island, Berry
islands, Bimini Eleuthera, Grand Bahamas island and New Providence
7. Wilma is moving toward the northeast
near 3 mph (5 km/h) and an increase in forward speed is expected during
the next 24 hours. Maximum sustained winds are near 100 MPH (160 KM/HR)
with higher gusts.
Situation
The following report is based on information
provided by the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in Cuba and Mexico, the
national emergency management agencies in both countries, as well as media
reports.
Mexico
8. The Yucatan peninsula was pounded
by hurricane Wilma during more than 36 hours. It made landfall near Cozumel,
as a category IV hurricane, and left the peninsula near Cabo Catoche, somehow
weakened, as a category II hurricane.
9. According to official sources, three
people died and the number of persons affected could reach 1 million. There
are over 100 temporary shelters operating in the states of Quintana Roo
and Yucatan, housing some 22,000 persons.
10. Civil Protection has been able to
dispatch to the affected areas 150,000 food rations, 270,000 litres of
bottled water, 3,750 personal hygiene kits and 45,000 domestic cleaning
kits, with resources from the Fund for Natural Disasters (FONDEN).
11. Wilma caused widespread damage to
energy and telecommunication distribution systems, urban infrastructure,
homes, roads, and to the agriculture, fishing, and tourism sectors. Floods
have been reported in Cancun and Playa del Carmen. According to media sources,
acts of pillage and looting have been registered in Cancun.
12. The Mexican Red Cross has set-up
an operations centre in the state of Quintana Roo. National Intervention
Teams and 54 tonnes of food supplies and water have been dispatched to
the Yucatan peninsula. Another 18 tonnes of supplies are ready to be airlifted
once operations are resumed at the Cancun airport.
Cuba
13. The number of evacuated people exceeds
622,000. The majority of the evacuated people come from the western
provinces of Pinar del Rio and Havana. Of the total number of evacuees,
the number of tourists is maintained at 1,000. Some 45,000 persons are
lodged in government provided shelters, with food and medical attention.
The rest of the evacuees are with neighbors or relatives living in safe
areas.
14. The national authorities have activated
food processing centers and shelters totalling 486 and 1002 respectively.
The number of mobilized personnel (emergency workers, medical doctors,
social workers) working for the emergency surpasses 71,000.
15. Heavy rains of up to 100 millilitres,
wind gusts, and coastal flooding have been reported in western Pinar del
Rio, meanwhile, the hurricane's outer bands have already caused heavy
rains. In some locations of Pinar del Rio, like Mantua, the authorities
have reported up to 200 millilitres of rain.
16. Tornados have developed in the towns
of Cortes and San Juan y Martinez in Pinar del Rio, where 82-kilometer
wind gusts have been reported as well. These tornados have affected roofs
of the residential sector. Communications by road have suffered heavy damages
in roads linking Isabel Rubio and Guane, La Bajada and Mantua, due to heavy
rains and flooding.
17. The electricity installations in
Pinar del Rio have also been damaged by Wilma. The storm damaged electricity
lines in the cities of Cortés, Sandino and Consolación del Sur, in the
western province of Pinar del Rio, leaving 17,000 people without electricity.
In the south coast of the central provinces of Cuba, the municipalities
of Tunas de Saza and Megano are still affected by sea penetrations.
18. The eastern provinces of the country
that were previously affected by hurricane "Dennis" in July 2005, were
struck again by Wilma, compounding the negative impact. Today, the National
Civil Defense announced the Alert Phase for the provinces of Guantánamo,
Holguín and Santiago de Cuba, due to another Tropical Storm, the 25th this
season, already causing rainfall and interruptions to recovery efforts
after Wilma and Dennis. This 25th Tropical Storm, "Alpha", is located
about 210 Miles (335 km) west-southwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Alpha
is expected to continue producing heavy rainfall.
International Response
19. In view of the threat that Wilma
still represents to Cuba, the Office of the Resident Coordinator in Havana
continues to closely monitor the situation to guarantee Staff and office
safety as well as to share information to its development partners. All
external missions to Cuba remain suspended until further notice, and all
internal missions continue to be postponed.
20. The International Federation of
the Red Cross (IFRC) has deployed two disaster management specialists from
its Pan American Disaster Relief Unit (PADRU) to Mexico to provide support
to the Mexican Red Cross relief department in carrying out a field assessment
as soon as possible.
21. OCHA is in close contact with the
United Nations Resident Coordinator's Offices in Cuba and Mexico, and
will revert with further information as it becomes available.
22. For further information, please
refer to the Website of the National Hurricane Service in Miami at www.nhc.noaa.gov,
and www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/Gif/atl.latest.gif.
23. This situation report, together
with further information on other ongoing emergencies is also available
on the OCHA Internet Website at http://www.reliefweb.int
Telephone: +41-22-917 12 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org
In case of emergency only:
Tel. +41-22-917 20 10
Desk Officers:
Mr. Ricardo Mena
E-mail: menar@un.org, direct Tel. +41-
22- 917-1455
Mr. Dusan Zupka
E-mail: zupka@un.org, direct Tel.
+41-22-917 1645
Press contact:
(GVA) Ms. Elizabeth Byrs
direct Tel. +41-22-917 2653
(N.Y.) Ms. Stephanie Bunker
direct Tel. +1-917-367 51 26
Disclaimer
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.