One and a half weeks after Hurricane Oscar made landfall in Guantánamo on October 20, accounts continue to emerge revealing how little the government did to protect the population, resulting in the deaths of at least eight people and significant material damage.
Esteban Romero, like many from Baracoa, was in grave danger due to the lack of awareness regarding the arrival of Hurricane Oscar, which later downgraded to a tropical storm. Although his family did not suffer any loss of life, they witnessed the fury of the wind and rain destroy much of their livelihood and belongings.
Her family contacted CiberCuba to have this story reveal the lies of the Cuban regime, which claimed to be prepared to face the cyclone and stated that it has always supported the people.
The videos sent to the newsroom were taken six days after the cyclone passed, but due to the difficulties in restoring electrical service and the ongoing blackouts, they are only now able to be broadcast.
Romero lives in the community of El Güirito, in the El Jamal Popular Council of the city of Baracoa, and was – at least before the hurricane – a prominent producer of coconuts and root vegetables.
“Nobody reported on this phenomenon. It was said to be a tropical storm, and such things are considered normal here. However, when the phenomenon occurred, and up to this moment, no one has come to see what happened,” Romero expressed, reflecting the frustration of those who feel abandoned by the authorities following the passing of the hurricane.
The gentleman reported that the water level rose by about five or six meters: “It reached the base of the roof,” and he mentioned that he covered his car.
“All the cows, working oxen, pigs, goats, and sheep drowned, and everything was destroyed, including the horses and the birds that were in this house,” Romero recounted, highlighting the extent of the losses he faced after the hurricane passed.
At the time of filming the video, six days after Hurricane Oscar struck the Guantanamo region as a Category 1 storm, the gentleman stated that no one from the government had shown any interest in assessing the material damages that had been incurred.
"And still, no one has come here to see or ask about how the animals were lost, how we were evacuated. A rescue team had to come to get us out of here, and no one has said or seen what happened," lamented Romero, highlighting the government's lack of response to the tragedy.
In the video, Romero displayed the dire conditions in which they lived, abandoned by the regime, and the serious damage suffered by the coconut plantation on his farm, one of the main sources of income for his family.
The Cuban government's lack of preparation to face Hurricane Oscar was so evident that even state journalists wrote reports confirming they were unaware of contingency or evacuation plans to address the damage.
Journalist Jorge Luis Merencio Cautín, who experienced it in San Antonio del Sur, horrifyingly described the impact of Oscar in Venceremos: "Hundreds of locals, perhaps thousands, caught off guard by the deluge, had no time to safeguard their most valuable properties, not even the most essential ones."
Her account illustrates the chaos and desperation of the local residents, who tried to save their lives by climbing onto roofs, trees, and elevated areas to avoid being swept away by the waters.
"The struggle to save their lives and avoid drowning far outweighed the value of what they left behind," he recounted, making it clear that the emergency caught them completely off guard.
For her part, Mirna Rodríguez Zúñiga, a journalist from La Voz del Toa radio station in Baracoa, published her article titled "It Wasn't a Matthew, But It Was an Oscar" in the Radio Guantánamo newspaper.
In this note, Rodríguez explains how she learned about the hurricane solely through rumors and communications with neighbors: “After hearing the news, which spread from person to person due to the lack of electricity, I spent several hours in a frenzy, securing doors and windows, buying food, digging trenches. Ugh, I ended up somewhat exhausted,” reported the journalist, who realized she was experiencing the stillness brought by the eye of the hurricane.
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