HAVANA, Cuba. – One month after the passing of Hurricane Oscarthe residents of Imías and San Antonio, in the province of Guantánamo, continue to be abandoned, trying to recover from the disaster with little government help.
A woman interviewed by CubaNet He said that he spent the worst part of the storm at the doctor’s office and that he was surprised to see how his house turned out. “I didn’t have the courage to come see how my house turned out. He wanted to give me something when I saw my little house, with everything in disarray. What we have experienced here is not easy,” said the woman while showing her house turned into rubble.
Some residents sleep outdoors, in tents or in the homes of neighbors who suffered less damage.
On Sunday, October 20, Hurricane Oscar, then category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, made landfall in Baracoa, in the province of Guantánamo, with winds of 130 kilometers per hour. The intense rains and major floods in the municipalities of Baracoa, Imías, Maisí and San Antonio del Sur, left eight dead and two missing, in addition to more than 11,000 homes affected, according to data from Cuban authorities.
According to a United Nations report, almost 150,000 people suffered severe damage and around 14,300 homes were destroyed or seriously damaged. Likewise, more than 15,000 hectares of farmland were destroyed, increasing the possibility of a food crisis in the region and the need for financing to rebuild this critical sector.
To access some of the affected areas, the Government has located control points, responsible for granting entry permits and supervising donations. Some independent projects have reached out to make donations.
“They only allow donations of clothes and shoes to enter; If you bring food, they tell you that they should give it to them because they are the ones in charge of repaying it,” he told CubaNet a member of a humanitarian aid project who was able to access the area.
The United Nations System (SNU) in Cuba estimated that at least 33.2 million dollars would be necessary to cover basic needs and support the long-term recovery process in the region affected by Hurricane Oscar on the Island. In this way, it began a Plan of action to raise funds to support the most affected people and territories.
Canada and Norway They joined the call with donations that amounted to $400,000 each. According to local media, the Embassy of Mexico In Cuba, in collaboration with the Mexican company Richmeat, with a presence on the Island, it donated 100 tons of ground meat (picadillo), in 250,000 units.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also donated to Cuba about 1.5 tons of medicines and consumables for the victims of Hurricane Oscar.
UNICEF notified Likewise, the donations would include “more than 94 tons of essential supplies that respond to the UNS Action Plan, prepared in dialogue with national authorities.” These donations included mosquito nets, chlorinating tablets, water tanks and tanks, and medication kits and medical supplies.
Similarly, UNICEF noted that, with the support of the Directorate General of Civil Protection and European Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), it was able to secure “1,000 roofing sheets, 680 purlins and 4,700 screws” for the reconstruction of 74 schools in the province. eastern.
Likewise, the Central Bank of Cuba created “several official accounts through which donations can be made in CUP national currency in favor of those affected by Hurricane Oscar in eastern provinces of the country.”
However, at the beginning of November, official media reported that the thousands of Cubans who lost their homes or suffered extensive damage after Hurricane Oscar hit the east of the country They will have to assume 50% of the cost of construction materials and mattresses.
A former officer of the Revolutionary Armed Forces consulted by CubaNet He assured that times of disaster in Cuba were “harvest moments for the State Reserve.” According to the source, a good part of the donations that arrived during an emergency were first confiscated by officials of the State Reserve, even anticipating the normal customs processes in ports and airports, and ignoring the hierarchy of the Civil Defense in this type of situation. , although with its consent as part of the Army.
For example, when Hurricane Matthew hit in October 2016, many of the high-quality mattresses donated by Italy were used to complete the furniture in some hotels run by the military or were given “by assignment” to senior officers, while the Victims had to pay between 300 and 1,000 pesos for some mats to use.
“The wrapping of the Italian mattresses was put on them, they were sealed as new (…), and those were the ones that were sent to the victims,” stated the source.
The residents of Imías and San Antonio “have been and continue to be alone. They charge the little that the Government has given them, at half price but they charge it. These are people who have lost everything, furthermore, what they are given are donation products that the Government has received, that is, it has not cost them anything. “How is it possible that they charge them?” said a young activist on condition of anonymity in order to continue supporting the victims.
Another source of the same project consulted by CubaNet He also reported that several residents in the towns complained about the abandonment by the authorities and the sale of donated products.
