A resident of the neighborhood Chicharrones, in Veguita de Galo, Santiago de Cuba, showed in a video sent to CiberCuba how his home was left after the passage of Hurricane Melissa, which fiercely struck the eastern part of the island this week.
In the images, the man walks through what used to be his home and shows the devastation caused by the winds and torrential rains. "Well, here is my house, look this is my house, my bed is here... the entire roof is gone... my whole little house has collapsed, look at this," he laments as he records the remnants of the structure.
The video reflects the devastation in that humble area of Santiago, where numerous residents report total material losses. In the yard, only remnants of boards, twisted zinc sheets, and fallen trees remain on the furniture and bed of the affected person.
The scenes of destruction are repeated across much of the province, which was severely affected by the hurricane. The president of the Provincial Defense Council, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, acknowledged that the situation in Santiago de Cuba is “very complex” following the direct impact of Hurricane Melissa, with flooding, partial collapses, and considerable material damage in several municipalities.
The phenomenon made landfall during the early hours of October 29 with winds exceeding 190 km/h, causing significant damage in areas such as El Cobre, Palma Soriano, Contramaestre, and Cayo Granma, where dozens of families lost their homes.
In Cayo Granma, residents described the scene as “total devastation”, with collapsed houses, sunken boats, and families without shelter. In Contramaestre, an entire neighborhood was submerged in water and mud following the overflow of several rivers that run through the area.
Social media reports agree on the lack of immediate response from the Cuban regime to the disaster. Many residents of Santiago are reporting that they have not received help or official information while trying to salvage what little they have left amid the mud.
The hurricane Melissa left a trail of destruction across eastern Cuba, with over 250 millimeters of accumulated rainfall in Santiago and a crisis exacerbated by prolonged blackouts and shortages of basic resources.
In the midst of tragedy, the testimony of this man from Chicharrones summarizes the feelings of many Cubans who have lost everything today: "my entire little house fell down."
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