Damaged agricultural areas, flooded neighborhoods, and destroyed bridges were left in the Guantanamo municipality of Imías by the passage of Hurricane Oscar, which remains isolated due to the unprecedented floods of recent hours.
Images from the journey made through that territory by Cuban Vice Prime Minister Inés María Chapman Waug, taken from a reconnaissance helicopter, reveal the devastation that the climatic phenomenon left in that impoverished town of eastern Cuba.
The photographs –posted on social media by journalist Miguel Reyes– show several agricultural areas that are still under water, and families who had to put their belongings out to dry in the sun after all their furniture got soaked in the storm.
Likewise, the bridges in the territory show the aftermath of the swollen rivers.
Hurricane Oscar, which made landfall in Cuba on October 20, has left a trail of destruction in eastern Cuba, with the province of Guantánamo being the most affected.
With a preliminary toll of seven dead, the situation remains critical, especially in Imías and San Antonio del Sur, which are still isolated due to the heavy flooding that occurred in that area during the passage of Oscar, which hit there as a hurricane.
In addition to Imías, "the route to the Popular Council La Tinta and Boca de Jauco is still cut off due to a sinkhole on the access road," Reyes revealed.
The communicator added that there is ongoing communication with the residents and it is expected to gain access as soon as possible to begin the tasks of assessing damages and recovery.
The deceased, all residents of San Antonio del Sur, have been identified as Francisco Colombia Matos (92 years old); Esmeraldo Noa Fiffe (82); Antolino Areas Domínguez (84); Alexander Saben Matos (42); Irianni Labañino Domínguez (31 years old) and the five-year-old child, Luís Andis Elías Labañino.
The most severe damage to infrastructure has been concentrated in the municipalities of Baracoa and Maisí, where the winds and rains from Oscar destroyed hundreds of homes.
In Baracoa, a total of 743 houses have been reported with roof damage and 51 that suffered partial collapses.
In Maisí, the situation is even more severe: 340 homes completely lost their roofs and another 667 suffered partial damage, according to data published by the newspaper Granma.
State facilities were not immune to the impact of the hurricane: warehouses, storerooms, pharmacies, and schools were damaged, and authorities continue to assess the extent of the damages.
What do you think?
COMMENTFiled under:
