Cuban activist Diasniurka Salcedo Verdecia shared striking images of families who have lost everything in Alquízar following the passage of Hurricane Rafael.
The videos show the condition of two wooden houses in the rural area of Artemisa province. The homes are without roofs and walls. All the appliances, beds, and furniture are wet and damaged beneath the rubble.
"Everything. Everything is ruined!" says a Cuban woman with resignation as she gathers the debris in an attempt to save some of her belongings.
Another family left their home just a few hours before the hurricane hit. They sought shelter with friends in a masonry house. Thanks to that last-minute decision, the couple and their three young children are alive.
"We were going to stay here, but a friend told me, 'come to my house, it's safer.' This morning when we saw the state of our house, my wife broke down in tears. I told her, 'You have to be strong, look at the kids, they're okay.' We're alive," said the father of this humble Cuban family.
Activist Diasniurka Salcedo emigrated to the United States last year under pressure from the regime. From Florida, she is leading a fundraising campaign and donations to assist those affected by the cyclone in her home country.
Hurricane Rafael made landfall in Artemisa on November 6, 2024, as a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, with winds reaching 185 km/h. It caused severe damage to homes, crops, and infrastructure.
In places like Alquízar and Güira de Melena, the floods left neighborhoods completely submerged, and agricultural fields suffered significant losses, impacting food production in western Cuba.
The cyclone also caused strong storm surges and gusts of wind in Pinar del Río and Havana, where more than 50,000 people were evacuated and the National Electric System collapsed, leaving much of the capital without electricity.
At the baseball stadium in Artemisa, a light tower collapsed, while the provincial hospital sustained structural damage.
Rafael left Cuba through the Bay of Cabañas, but its effects are still felt in the west, where some areas continue to experience rainfall and risks of landslides. Authorities are conducting damage assessments and deploying rescue teams in the most affected areas.
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