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In Puerto Padre, province of Las Tunas, dozens of people lined up this Monday in front of the only ATM in the municipality to try to withdraw cash before the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, which is approaching eastern Cuba as a powerful category 5.
The user Camilo Agramonte reported on Facebook about the situation with several images showing men and women, many of whom are elderly, waiting under the sun, uncertain if the ATM would dispense cash before running out.
"From early on, people line up endlessly under challenging conditions, worried about whether they will be able to withdraw any money before it runs out," he wrote.
Agramonte explained that among those waiting were “young people, mothers, retirees, workers... all with the same urgency: to be able to purchase at least some food, a medication, or any basic resource before the hurricane arrives.”
"The situation is complicated," he added, "because it coincides with the payments for pensions and retirement benefits during the Alarm Phase declared by the authorities. 'Not everyone is able to withdraw their money, and that may be the most painful image: seeing hope fade away as quickly as an ATM runs out of cash,' he lamented."
Meanwhile, other social media posts show the measures being taken in the coastal municipality in preparation for the imminent arrival of the phenomenon.
Journalist Rosa María Ramírez Reyes shared photos of the dismantling of tents at the kiosks along the waterfront and stated that the Defense Council "confirms the suspension of recreational activities and the sale of alcoholic beverages."
The hurricane Melissa, with sustained winds of up to 270 kilometers per hour and a central pressure of 908 millibars, is moving towards eastern Cuba on a path that directly threatens the provinces of Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Granma, Las Tunas, and Camagüey, according to reports from the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
From that very territory, the user José Luis Pérez Parra published a message that has been widely shared on social media, in which he reflects on the country's vulnerability to natural phenomena of this magnitude. “The threat of Melissa is not measured solely on the Saffir-Simpson scale. It is also measured by the vulnerability we carry,” he wrote.
The resident recalled that during Hurricane Ike, the area of the boardwalk in Puerto Padre was completely flooded due to poor urban drainage, and warned that heavy rains could cause flooding again.
"Today more than ever, prevention is not just a slogan: it is a vital necessity. Resilience is not something that can be improvised; it is built before the storm," she warned.
While Civil Defense coordinates evacuations and the population prepares for the impacts of the hurricane, images from Puerto Padre present a true portrait of Cuba facing Melissa: long lines, uncertainty, and the stubborn hope of enduring once again.
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