Cuba's Deputy Prime Minister, Inés María Chapman, described the meteorological circumstances that led to the severe flooding in the municipality of San Antonio del Sur during Hurricane Oscar as unprecedented.
In statements to the national press, Chapman eloquently described what happened, but he did not mention at any point what might have happened to the dams in the area—which has led to many comments on social media—nor did he indicate why the residents in the area were not warned of the danger, as many of the affected individuals have reported.
"The hurricane hovered for more than 24 hours practically, between Imías and San Antonio del Sur. We are in a place that is low, surrounded by mountains, and the runoff from the mountains also contributes to the volume of water, plus the rain that fell, caused the river to rise," explained the Cuban leader.
"It was over 500 millimeters in a short time. It was very heavy rain. It had never happened before. Such intense rain, no," added Chapman, who mentioned that years ago there was "a certain flooding, without reaching the town, with less than 300 millimeters."
However, he emphasized that this time it was 500 millimeters, almost 600 in some places.
"Since it was practically in the early morning, that volume of water increased. The river also grew. Let us remember that the sea raises the level at night, in the early morning. That level of seawater rises and creates a cushion, a blockage. The river wants to flow out but cannot. What does it do? It backs up. Backing up means the river moves backwards and extends in the lowest area. The lowest area is San Antonio," he concluded.
In the comments section, several internet users were not convinced by the explanation, as despite the meteorological coherence of what was explained, they do not understand why the Civil Defense did not foresee on-site the magnitude of the impending danger.
"Give her the power, let's see how it goes," sentenced the activist Félix Llerena with irony.
"First it was all the 'potbellied bosses' and they didn't think to bring at least drinking water for those people who have been struggling for days. First the photo op and then maybe the assistance," said another outraged Cuban.
A third party turned to Rubiera, who warned that "the worst thing was the rains and that there would be landslides."
"What sets us apart from animals is the ability to foresee. Stop with the excuses; they left them alone"; "What happened in the east of Cuba has only one name: Abandonment. They left that population to their fate," others stated.
It was noted that, considering that the hurricane impacted Cuban territory during the mass blackout, at that moment the government was only interested in "solving the electrical problem in Havana" to prevent residents in the capital from going out to protest.
"Those people died because none of you bothered to warn about the cyclone. Besides being inept, you are murderers. History will not forgive you, and neither will the people," concluded another outraged Cuban.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
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