Recently, much of South America has experienced drier than usual conditions, with unusually high temperatures and a marked decrease in precipitation. Drought has been widespread in Brazil and adjacent countries to the north, west and south, as well as in the northern half of Argentina and Chile causing a profound impact on agriculture, water resources and biodiversity. In particular, the Pantanal of Brazil has suffered intensely due to the reduction of water, exacerbating forest fires.

In less than a month, between 20 October and 10 November 2024, Cuba was impacted by two hurricanes — Oscar and Rafael — and two major earthquakes, causing widespread disruption to essential services and infrastructure. On October 20, 2024, Hurricane Oscar, a Category 1 storm, made landfall near Baracoa in the province of Guantánamo, bringing extensive flooding and affecting over 1.4 million people, amid an unprecedented energy emergency marked by repeated disconnections of the national electrical system and widespread blackouts across the country. On 6 November, the powerful Category 3 Hurricane Rafael made landfall near Playa Mejana, in the province of Artemisa, exposing 3.5 million people to intense winds, cutting off electricity, disrupting water and health services, and leaving a trail of destruction across western Cuba including the capital Havana. Shortly after, on 10 November, two earthquakes (magnitudes 5.9 and 6.8) struck near Granma province, compounding infrastructure damage and leaving thousands without access to electricity. Additionally, numerous healthcare facilities and 338 schools have been damaged, further complicating the situation. These consecutive events have created significant challenges for emergency response and recovery efforts across the most affected regions. Authorities are prioritizing the restoration of electricity and telecommunications, as well as the recovery of water supply and sanitation in the affected areas. Read the Public Health Situation Analysis to learn about the main human health risks and PAHO's response.

Access daily updates on natural hazards in the Americas, including wildfires, floods, droughts, hurricanes, heatwaves, and other extreme meteorological events.

NATURAL HAZARDS MONITORING

Explore the Region of the Americas' public health signals and events being monitored to view data on select events, by type of hazard (infection, zoonosis, disaster, other) and location. 

PUBLIC HEALTH EVENTS DASHBOARD

Hurricane beryl - 2024 Flooding in Brazil - 2024