CAMAGÜEY, Cuba. – “It has not been possible to enter Imías, many people do not know anything about their relatives. Since Friday [18 de octubre] They are without power. Since Sunday I haven’t heard from my mother or my seven-year-old daughter. The situation is desperate, they have not received water or food, and those who have managed to survive are suffering from hunger,” he told CubaNet a mother from Imías who was not in the municipality at the time of the hurricane.
The source, who asked to protect his identity for fear of reprisals, also commented that “people are going through and crossing swollen mountains and rivers to be able to reach somewhere with coverage and communicate with their families and say that they are fine.”
“Díaz-Canel was this Wednesday [23 de octubre] in San Antonio, in a helicopter, but was not able to reach Imías. Besides, [los dirigentes] Nor are they capable of creating a rescue group and removing all those people from the most intricate places in the town; “Only God knows how long these people haven’t eaten anything,” he added.
Last Sunday, October 20, Hurricane Oscar, then category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, made landfall in Cuba in Baracoa, in the province of Guantánamo, with winds of 130 kilometers per hour and intense rains.
Later converted into a tropical storm, remained practically motionless over that regioncausing major flooding in the municipalities of Baracoa, Imías, Maisí and San Antonio del Sur.
Oscar arrived in Cuba in the middle of a national blackout unprecedented, which led, together with the irresponsibility of the authorities, to misinformation among the inhabitants of the areas that would be affected by the meteorological event.
“To the majority [el huracán] He caught us asleep. We didn’t know anything about what was going to happen to us. Imagine yourself, six days without electricity. Some people bedridden and sick at home, mainly older people. Neither the Government nor anyone was able to warn, at least with loudspeakers, as was done before,” he told CubaNet María Antonia, resident of one of the affected areas.
“I was in my little ranch and I felt something cold; When I looked it was the water on my bed. Then with the running and running of the neighbors, the strong winds, we were able to draw the conclusion that it was a cyclone or something similar,” he added.
So far, the Cuban Government has reported seven deaths as a result of the meteorological phenomenon. Among the deceased are three older adults over 80 years old, two people between 30 and 40 years old and a five year old girl.
However, according to a source in the area, who was consulted on condition of anonymity, the dead “amount to more than seven.” After lowering the water level, “bodies have been found on the seashore with their faces eaten by bugs” and dozens of missing families have been reported.
“This is chaos. It seems that we are living a movie of survival and without hope for anything,” the source concluded.
