Officialist journalists write reports confirming that they were not informed about the cyclone.

In the midst of the onslaught of Hurricane Oscar in the province of Guantánamo, press writings from the official journalists themselves reveal that even they were not informed of contingency or evacuation plans to face the damages. If those who are supposed to be the spokespeople for information in the territory knew nothing, what hope was left for the rest of the population?

Journalist Jorge Luis Merencio Cautín, who experienced it in San Antonio del Sur, one of the most affected areas, described in his article "Terrifying Night" published in the Guantanamo digital newspaper Venceremos, how “hundreds of locals, perhaps thousands, caught off guard by the flood, had no time to safeguard their most valuable belongings, not even the most essential.” His account illustrates the chaos and desperation of the area's inhabitants, who tried to save their lives by climbing onto roofs, trees, and higher ground to avoid being swept away by the waters. “The struggle to save their lives and not drown far outweighed the value of what was left behind,” he recounted, making it clear that the emergency caught them completely unprepared.

"The scene left by the avenue was Dantean. Houses and workplaces covered in mud up to the 'throat,' thousands of electrical appliances affected or unusable; beds, mattresses, display cases, destroyed or damaged furniture; clothes and other personal belongings missing, or in the best of cases covered in sludge… but, above all, it left mourning families, filled with pain for the loss of loved ones," wrote the chronicler.

Merencio's account confirms that the locals, just like the journalists, did not receive prior warning about the magnitude of the storm or the floods that would ensue. The narrative agrees that the population had no time to prepare or evacuate safely.

For her part, Mirna Rodríguez Zúñiga, a journalist from the La Voz del Toa station in Baracoa, published her article titled "It Wasn't a Mathew, But It Was an Oscar" in the Radio Guantánamo newspaper. In this article, Rodríguez notes how she learned about the hurricane's passage solely through rumors and communications among neighbors, as power outages prevented her from accessing official media. “After hearing the news, which spread from mouth to mouth due to the lack of electricity, I spent several hours in a frenzy, securing doors and windows, buying food, digging trenches, phew, I ended up somewhat exhausted,” said the journalist, who realized she was experiencing at one moment the stillness that the eye of the hurricane provides.

Her testimony reveals not only the lack of official information available to her as a journalist but also the absence of a coordinated plan. Rodríguez herself acknowledged the uncertainty and lack of connection that was being experienced: “Right now, I don't even know what's happening in other parts of Baracoa, the communication breakdown is killing us.” The journalist spent the night without knowing the extent of what was happening: "And now what? Why so much silence and stillness? (...) Some are taking this moment to gather their tiles. The advisable thing is not to let one's guard down, but the current situation leaves no other option. In the middle of the night, some are already starting to return to their homes (...) Now the second part of the story is worse. And the noise of the wind, what falls, and the darkness is terrifying. I think about what is being lost, about those who have little and are getting wet. Now we wait for dawn and start the recovery."

These writings, without having been intended, underline a critical problem: the lack of preparation and the poor communication of emergency plans at a time when both journalists and citizens rely on accurate information to protect their lives and property. If even official journalists do not have access to key data or instructions, the vulnerability of the anonymous population is even greater, exposing them to unnecessary dangers.

Both chronicles end by referring to the solidarity that once again emerges to alleviate the consequences of the government's poor management. "No family will be left helpless," Díaz-Canel promised in San Antonio del Sur, but what was truly needed was to have supported them beforehand.