Intense rains cause landslides in Santiago de Cuba

The intense rains that are affecting eastern Cuba caused severallandslides in Santiago de Cuba.

In the Facebook group Buy and Sell in Santiago de Cuba, the userOdi Kindelan Palma, said that he did not even know how to explain the pain he felt when the house where he lived with three children collapsed.

"I don't even know how to approach this situation because I was left speechless. During the night what you see in the photos happened because of the rain. Three children were in the house and three adults were trapped inside the home," he said. Hate.

Those affected survived, but have not received any type of medical assistance. The house is located in Pasaje de Argilagos # 184 between Ríos Rivera and Prolongación de Corana, in what is known as Reparto Veguita de Galo.

In his message he details that the housing problems were not recent. The collapse could have been avoided but for years the government did not act despite the complaints.

"This is due to a cyclone that previously affected us and we are still waiting for answers from the government that have not yet arrived. My10 year old girl she is sickly, they are doing studies on her for acystic fibrosis, hascytomegalovirus, isimmunocompromised and because of theshortness of breath crisis caused him apericardial effusion. My 11 year old nephew has oneintellectual disability"said the affected woman.

Odi asked for help on social media because "early in the morning they said that they came from the municipal government and a brigade to open another place to get in to take out the belongings and these are the hours that no one has arrived. The children are restless, they havehunger, sleep and fear".

The little ones were able to eat thanks to the help of neighbors, who have shown solidarity with this family's case. The government has not visited the affected area or offered them an alternative to shelter from the rains.

HeCuban Observatory of Human Rights reported otherstwo house collapses Thursday night in Santiago de Cuba, fortunately without fatalities.

The "danger of possible collapse had been notified to the government," the NGO said.

HeCuban Meteorological Institute (Insmet) reported numerous showers and rains in the eastern region of the country on Thursday. They warned that rainfall would be strong and intense in several locations in Holguín, Santiago de Cuba and Granma.

The highest accumulated was 223 millimeters (mm) in Guaro, Holguín, although it left largefloods in the capital city of the province. There were also 114.2 mm in Gran Piedra and 100 in Contramaestre, both in Santiago de Cuba and 91.6 mm in Jucarito, Granma.

The rains are associated with the passage through the Caribbean Sea of an area of low pressure. This system will remain with an extended trough at low levels to the vicinity of the center and east of the country. More rain is expected and some populations could be especially sensitive to this phenomenon.