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While hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, approaches eastern Cuba with winds of 295 km/h, the leader Miguel Díaz-Canel has chosen to turn the impending tragedy into a political propaganda act.
Instead of exclusively focusing on the national emergency, the president took to his social media to discuss the U.S. blockade and to exalt historical figures of Castroism, amid the panic and the massive evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Cubans.
"Today, Cuba is focusing its efforts on preparing the eastern provinces to confront the dangerous hurricane Melissa, while the United Nations General Assembly is discussing the resolution to end the blockade," the ruler wrote on his account on X, comparing the cyclone to the sanctions imposed by the United States: "Another hurricane we have faced for six decades."
The message was accompanied by a map from the Institute of Meteorology (INSMET) showing the hurricane's path directly toward the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Holguín, and Guantánamo, where alarm and evacuation phases have already been activated.
According to official reports, more than 650,000 people have been displaced amid prolonged blackouts, food shortages, lack of fuel, and hospitals without basic resources.
Propaganda in the midst of disaster
Díaz-Canel continued with a political rhetoric that many Cubans deemed insensitive. In another message, the president called to mind Commander Camilo Cienfuegos on the anniversary of his physical disappearance: “Eternal symbol of loyalty, dedication, and patriotism... in all those who fight for a better Cuba.”
His wife, Lis Cuesta, also intervened with an epic and propagandistic tone: “Melissa foretells terrible damage, but despite the criminal siege by the U.S., the State unites an entire country. Today Cuba is inspired by Camilo,” she wrote alongside an image of the guerrilla with the phrase “The entire Cuban people is, today, a Camilo.”
The messages sparked criticism both on and off the island, with many users labeling the use of revolutionary slogans amid an imminent threat as "political propaganda" and "lack of sensitivity." "People need shelter, food, and electricity, not speeches or hashtags," wrote an internet user from Holguín.
An island under threat
Hurricane Melissa made landfall this Tuesday in southern Jamaica with sustained winds of 295 km/h and a central pressure of 892 millibars. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) of the United States, the system is expected to move towards eastern Cuba during the early hours of Wednesday, with a high potential for catastrophic damage.
The director of the NHC, Michael Brennan, warned that the phenomenon is “catastrophic and potentially deadly”, and that the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Holguín, and Las Tunas will face torrential rains, flooding, and landslides. Rain accumulations of up to 500 millimeters are expected, along with wave heights of between 8 and 12 feet (2.5 to 3.5 meters) along the southeastern coast.
Politics before emergency
Despite the warnings, the Cuban regime has tried to take advantage of the situation to reinforce its international narrative against Washington. For several days now, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, the island's Foreign Minister, has denounced “brutal pressures” from the United States ahead of the upcoming UN vote on the embargo, scheduled for October 29, while the country prepares for the impact of the cyclone.
The official discourse seeks to merge both fronts, the natural disaster and the diplomatic confrontation, into a single narrative of resistance. However, the strategy has been met with skepticism among a fatigued population that is increasingly disconnected from the heroic language of power.
“What failed state would do everything we do?”, Díaz-Canel had said days earlier, in response to criticism regarding the lack of resources and the improvisation in emergency management. However, the facts contradict the propaganda: communities without safe shelters, makeshift roofs, queues for drinking water, and overcrowded hospitals.
In the coming hours, eastern Cuba will face the direct impact of one of the most intense hurricanes of the century, while the regime exploits the chaos to reiterate its narrative of resistance. This narrative is increasingly worn out in front of a population that no longer fears the wind, but rather the indifference.
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