Havana/It will take time to recover the numerous damages left by Storm Imelda at the end of September in Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo, where thousands of houses are still damaged by the passage of Hurricane Oscar, almost a year ago.
In a meeting with governors and authorities of both provinces in which the damage was assessed – without dedicating a single word to the two dead and two missing caused by the storm – the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero, gave some advice to address the situation in the midst of a shortage of construction materials. The president asked “to find an answer for the many buildings that require eliminating roof leaks, especially with our own, tropical solutions, such as rasilla, and also blankets, which are imported and cost foreign currency.”
According to the report, published this Tuesday by Rebel Youth35 people completely lost their homes in Santiago de Cuba due to Imelda and “housing solutions are being sought for them” while they remain in an evacuee center and without a concrete plan in sight. Governor Manuel Falcón Hernández explained that, in total, on a preliminary basis, there are 985 homes affected.
Governor Manuel Falcón Hernández explained that, in total, on a preliminary basis, there are 985 homes with damages.
He also explained that there are three communities – María del Pilar, Comunidad 13 de Agosto and Alta Gracia – that are isolated in the municipality, which can only be accessed by sea or “with mule and horse trails.” In all three, the official assured, “the supply of food and other supplies is maintained and vital services function.”
Regarding the damage in Guantánamo, Governor Alis Azahares Torreblanca reported that there are 21 damaged state buildings, 16 of the Ministry of Education and five of health. He said that five schools are already operating “and in 11 alternative solutions were sought to continue classes.” The work on those facilities “must be completed before the end of the year,” he said.
More than a week after the impact of Imelda, it has barely begun to deliver tiles to the more than 20 families who suffered damage to the roofs of their homes.
Azahares Torreblanca added that of the almost 79 roads affected by the heavy rains, there are four of national interest, of which access has already been opened in two, “although on the La Farola viaduct the work is more complex.” Likewise, he pointed out that there are 14 isolated settlements, which for now cannot be reached by motor vehicles.
There are 14 isolated settlements, which for now cannot be reached by motor vehicles
Of the 14 damaged aqueducts, 12 have been repaired, but in the other two “no progress has been made because the rivers that border them are still flooding.” Likewise, the governor assured that the electrical service is “practically recovered.”
The report on the damage left by Imelda included the current damage that other phenomena have left on the Island in the last year, and of which there are still victims. The governor of GranmaYanetsy Terry Gutiérrez recalled that the earthquake in November last year left several hundred total and partial collapses in structures and roofs, and nearly 8,000 minor damages.
According to Rebel Youth“part of the damage has been resolved, but there are many pending solutions to which a response is being sought, including the architectural solution with freight containers.”
The earthquake left a total of seven people injured and 2,018 homes damaged, 26 of them are total collapses and there are 30 health and 40 educational institutions affected.
The report also included the passage of Hurricane Oscar in the Cuban high east, in October of last year, which left at least six dead and damage to more than 5,800 homes, including 324 total collapses and 1,045 partial ones. The governor of Guantánamo explained in this regard that, “although progress has been made, the biggest problems are concentrated in roofs, which are requiring nearly 20,000 asbestos cement tiles and about 5,000 zinc tiles.”
The governor of Guantánamo explained in this regard that, “although progress has been made, the biggest problems are concentrated in roofs.”
The thousands of people affected by this type of phenomena increase over time in the country, largely due to the fact that the State is incapable of providing materials for construction, and where their production is supported by non-state forms of management. “The energy deficit, voltage instability that paralyzes cement plants, technological obsolescence and limitations on foreign investments have an impact on the shortage of raw materials and low productivity,” said Maidel Leticia González González, general director of Materials at the Ministry of Construction, last September.
The count of the damage that Imelda left, according to Rebel Youth“was another testimony of how much the country is doing to solve the numerous problems accumulated by the devastating steps of extreme hydrometeorological events, earthquakes and other natural phenomena; however, there is still much to do and thousands of families who need answers.”
