Corruption, nepotism and false measurements reign in the Institute of Meteorology

The announcement this week of a plan funded by the UN to “improve the quality and accuracy of weather forecasts” in Cuba coincided with the delivery to 14ymedio of devastating testimony about “corruption and nepotism” that affect the Institute of Meteorology (Insmet). “Only those of us who work here know,” explains a young employee at the Casablanca station who asks not to reveal his name.

Currently, half of the staff who remain at Insmet are over 65 years old: “Rehired retirees who earn double for doing nothing,” says the worker. Among this staff of reinstated retirees, the famous Dr. José Rubiera, 80 years old, stands out especially, who “already forgets the names and years of the cyclones” and manages to monetize a lot of money with his YouTube channel and other private contracts.

The person who put it there was not a commission of experts or a sufficiency test: it was by political order

“Even though he doesn’t need it, he has a contract with Insmet, like a parasite,” the young man says with heartfelt annoyance, adding that the people continue to believe that Rubiera is the best meteorologist in Cuba, simply because “he was the one who came out with every cyclone,” without taking into account that the person who put him there was not a commission of experts or a proficiency test: “It was by political order, for being a deputy and a member of the PCC, like everything that is done in Cuba.”

The same procedure has been followed with Ailyn Justiz, current Head of the Center for Atmospheric Physics, who has been assigned that position after the dismissal of the former head for having expressed an “incorrect” political opinion on social networks. “Ailyn, on the other hand, has the perfect profile: she is a member of the PCC and a deputy to the National Assembly of People’s Power, but she has very little knowledge of Meteorology.”

The worker points out the unreliability of the data transmitted by the Insmet staff, where there is great discontent due to the terrible working conditions. “The observers stationed at the stations make up numbers to justify the salary,” he explains. For example, some independent meteorologists have questioned the supposed record of zero degrees in Indio Hatuey, since the measurements from that station are inconsistent and there are numerous physical reasons to refute that record.

However, under no circumstances will this record be reviewed and denied, since Insmet officially recognized it and the news went around the world. If any question were to be created that transcended social networks, it would immediately be justified with a “committee of experts” that would ensure that “everything works perfectly.”

Of the 68 weather stations in the system, at least ten have closed due to a lack of professionals who have resigned due to discontent over their low salaries and the insecurity of the facilities, which have already suffered frequent assaults.

Among the stations that have ceased operations is that of Santiago de las Vegas. Although this facility has decades of history, it has been abandoned for more than a year and today is in ruins. It has currently been occupied by unknown people as illegal housing and its records have been lost. Other Insmet facilities that have suffered similar fates are the historic Cabo de San Antonio station, Güira de Melena, Colón and Unión de Reyes stations. In Tapaste, only the station manager remains, who only makes sporadic measurements.

Despite the worrying situation of the organization, none of its senior officials have been singled out or sanctioned. While the sector continues with failures and scarcity of resources, managers use money on scientific tourism, denounces the Casablanca specialist.

“The three main people responsible for this (although not the only ones) are the general director, Celso Pazos Alberdi; the deputy director Yinelis Bermúdez – a specialist in censoring information –; and Ailyn Justiz, who allows the entire disaster at the forecast center and spends her life in PCC meetings,” the worker asserts.

While the sector continues with failures and scarcity of resources, managers use money on scientific tourism

The poor state of the meteorological infrastructure is evident in the absence of reports from stations in Insmet’s own website. Among the failures that persist include technical deficiencies of various kinds: “They no longer do forecast evaluations and they have technicians hired with inflated templates to make ‘maps’ with Windows Paint, which is a shame for a professional.”

To stop the loss of specialists, the Ministry of Sciences, Technology and Environment (Citma) has decided to increase the salary of workers at three of its centers, especially Insmet itself. The employees have been asked not to divulge the news of the increase, apparently to avoid complaints from professionals in other sectors of science, who deserve the same treatment according to the work they do, but earn meager salaries.

“The increase, which will arrive in March, is around double the current amount – although that does not mean that it will be enough – and what is sought is for Insmet staff to remain, especially in Casablanca, since most of that station’s professionals have resigned to go to work at the airport, where they are paid between 12,000 and 20,000 pesos, in addition to incentives.”