Tropical storm Elsa on Sunday hit Cuba with heavy rains and gusty winds on its path towards Florida Keys.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel urged people to be disciplined to avoid casualties due to damages the storm could cause nationwide.
"Tropical storm Elsa is already hitting the country. We have been communicating with the presidents of (Civil) Defense Councils in the eastern provinces as well as in Ciego de Avila and Camaguey. The work has been organized, responsible and quick," he said on Twitter.
It came as Cuba registered 3,519 COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours and 14 additional deaths, bringing the national counts to 204,247 and 1,351 respectively.
Maria Elena Soto, a high-ranking official at the Cuban Ministry of Public Health, said that steps had been taken to guarantee storing of homegrown vaccines at required temperatures in case of power cuts.
"We have power units," she said. "The vaccines are protected in warehouses that meet all safety conditions."
Nationwide, local authorities at the grassroots level have adopted measures to evacuate thousands of people living in coastal towns and low-lying areas.
Cuban state TV broadcast images of educational centers and state institutions turned into makeshift shelters, where social distancing guidelines are in place.
In the eastern Cuban province of Granma, the storm brought hail damage to crops, particularly in the mountainous regions, according to local media.
Meanwhile, in the coastal town of Varadero, some 150 kilometers east of Havana, measures were adopted to protect lives of international tourists visiting the country's most popular seaside resort.
In addition, waste collectors in Havana continued to clear sewage systems and streets of solid garbage in light of the imminent impact of the storm.
Tropical storm Elsa, downgraded from hurricane on Saturday, is expected to batter the western part of the island in the coming hours.
