Moments of anguish and panic were experienced by neighboring families in San Antonio del Sur, including children, who were trapped on the roof of a house during the flooding caused by Hurricane Oscar in that municipality of Guantánamo, before being rescued safe and sound by local youth.
A member of one of the families, identified on Facebook as Neldito Rodríguez Labañino, posted two videos documenting how they saved their lives amid the enormous flooding that inundated the municipality of Guantanamo during the hurricane that struck the eastern side of the country just over a week ago.
Rodríguez thanked God and each of the young people from the Oquendo community who made it possible for him, his family, and his neighbors to be successfully rescued.
"I want to thank God first of all and everyone who was involved in our rescue—my family, neighbors, and me. My heartfelt gratitude goes to the guys from the neighborhood, to El Chino Joenqui, Lasarito, Raulín, Endri, Danito, and Wilito for being the masterminds behind our rescue with rafts and ropes. I have no other words for you guys except to express my deep appreciation," the young man wrote this Wednesday in the Facebook group Revolico San Antonio del Sur.
The images speak for themselves: While it was raining and the wind was blowing with considerable force, a dozen people—according to estimates from the videos—among them several children, remained on the rooftop of a house surrounded by water, which almost reached the concrete roof and those of the neighboring houses.
Some children and adults sheltered under an improvised "tent" made of tiles, nylon, and blankets to protect themselves from the rain and wind. Others were exposed to the elements, barely able to stand due to the powerful gusts of the cyclone. All were unaware of how long it would take for someone to rescue them.
In response to a comment on the post, Rodríguez revealed that they were there all night. "Only we know what we went through here that night," he stated.
"It was terrifying (...) I felt defenseless, powerless, and I didn't want to get up from where I was due to the panic we experienced," he confessed as he recalled the horrific experience.
Finally, the long-awaited miracle of the rescue happened thanks to the solidarity and courage of the townspeople themselves.
The striking images shared by this young Cuban join dozens of visual testimonies gathered by survivors of the devastation left by Hurricane Oscar as it passed through the easternmost province of the island.
This Wednesday, chilling images emerged of the rescue of a father and his young daughter from their home, which was flooded in the municipality of Imías. The rising and turbulent waters nearly submerged the house, from which several volunteers, reportedly workers from the local transportation company, successfully rescued the man and the girl, ensuring their safety.
In the hours following the hurricane's impact, which struck Cuban territory on October 20, images have emerged showcasing the heroic acts of residents from the affected communities who, at the risk of their own lives, have helped save others amidst the flooding in Imías and San Antonio del Sur.
Two brave young people rescued two neighbors—a woman and a man—in San Antonio. Had it not been for them, the couple would not have survived.
Other cases have also been reported of people who managed to find safety on the roofs of their homes while waiting for the powerful storm to subside and the floodwaters to recede.
Oscar has caused devastation and death in the municipalities of San Antonio del Sur and Imías, primarily, and has also struck hard in Baracoa and Maisí.
This Wednesday, ten days after the hurricane made landfall in eastern Cuba, the government raised the official report of fatalities to eight—seven in San Antonio del Sur and one in Imías—and announced the disappearance of two other individuals.
However, since the authorities released the initial report of fatalities, residents in communities within those municipalities have questioned the official figures, claiming that the deaths exceeded the reported numbers and that there were dozens of missing persons.
It also emerged this Wednesday, through unofficial sources, that at least three other people lost their lives due to causes related to the false alarm about the breaking of the curtains of the San Antonio del Sur dam, which triggered moments of panic among the residents of that municipality last Friday.
According to Daniel Ross Diéguez, an audiovisual producer documenting the situation of residents in the areas most affected by Hurricane Oscar, a woman died due to a hip fracture she sustained when she fell while running after a false alarm, and two other people passed away from heart attacks. The authorities have neither confirmed nor denied this information.
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