MIAMI – Oscar lost its tropical storm status Tuesday afternoon as it moved across the Bahamas for a second time after leaving at least six people dead in Cuba.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel made that announcement one day after the storm made landfall there as a Category 1 hurricane.
"We want to inform the population that the effects are severe at this time in the province of Guantanamo, with which we have maintained constant communication," Diaz-Canel said.
He said that the municipalities of San Antonio and Imias were hit hard by the storm, and levels of flooding were experienced there that had never been seen.
"Unfortunately, based on the preliminary information we have, six lives were lost in the municipality of San Antonio," Diaz-Canel continued. "Rescue operations are still ongoing to continue evaluating the possible damages, the impacts, because there are areas that are totally flooded which we have not been able to access."
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Oscar made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane near Baracoa in the Cuban province of Guantanamo just before 6 p.m. ET Sunday with winds of 80 mph – its second landfall of that day. Earlier Sunday, Oscar made its first landfall on Great Inagua Island in the Bahamas, also coming ashore as a Category 1 hurricane.
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The small but mighty storm rapidly intensified from a tropical storm into an 85-mph hurricane on Saturday, causing islands in its potential path to issue watches and warnings ahead of the system’s arrival.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Oscar produced heavy precipitation in parts of eastern Cuba before exiting the island nation Monday night, with some areas possibly receiving up to 20 inches of rain.
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Video from Cuba earlier this week showed large waves crashing onshore while winds whipped and rain poured down. As Cuba endured the storm's impacts, the nation's infrastructure struggled.
According to a report from Reuters, Cuba's electrical grid collapsed at least four times in two days, plunging the Caribbean island nation into darkness. According to the report, Cuba has been facing weeks of rolling blackouts ahead of then-Hurricane Oscar. Work to try and restore power was only slowed by the storm's arrival.
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Forecasters said that areas of the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands are at risk of flash flooding as the remnants of Oscar move back through the region on Tuesday. An additional 1 to 4 inches of rainfall is expected.
The NHC says Oscar's remnants will move away from the southeastern Bahamas later Tuesday or Tuesday night.
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Over the weekend when Oscar was intensifying, a Hurricane Hunter aircraft determined the cyclone's eye was only about 3 miles wide, making it one of the smallest features since Hurricane Wilma in 2005.
Oscar became the second storm to get a name on Saturday, joining Tropical Storm Nadine, which was christened early Saturday morning near Belize. Nadine later dissipated over southern Mexico on Sunday, but its remnants helped spawn Tropical Storm Kristy over the Eastern Pacific on Monday afternoon.