“My grandmother has nowhere to sleep”: the plea for help from Cuban influencer Yaya Panoramix following Hurricane Melissa

The Cuban influencer Yaya Panoramix (Dayana Figueroa) shared an emotional and desperate message on social media following the damage caused to her home by the hurricane Melissa in eastern Cuba. 

In their post on Facebook, they urgently requested help for their 78-year-old grandmother, who has lost her home and belongings. “I won't post videos and photos of my house out of respect for my family. I won't let them see Fefa (God in a house coat) crying inconsolably for her little home, her four little treasures, the photos, my childhood diplomas, the memories of a lifetime… out of modesty towards her,” they wrote.

The young woman described her grandmother as "a decent lady, 78 years old, who raised me, who would warm cloths when my knees hurt, a woman who loves me and whom I love deeply."

"I need help, my grandmother has nowhere to sleep."

Yaya explained that the images of the disaster are terrible, but she decided not to share them to preserve her family's dignity.

His message, filled with helplessness, has gone viral among users who empathize with his situation and that of thousands of families who have lost everything in the wake of the hurricane.

"I need help. My grandmother has nowhere to sleep. If anyone is selling mattresses, please contact me as soon as possible. A private message. I refuse to pay the same person who ruined them," she wrote, referring to the damage caused by the floods and the lack of state support.

In her post, she included an old photo with her grandmother "in happier times," an image that encapsulates love, loss, and the memories of an entire life.

Melissa leaves behind a country in ruins and families without shelter

The case of Yaya Panoramix is not isolated. Thousands of Cubans from the eastern part of the country are facing similar situations, with collapsed homes, torn roofs, and destroyed belongings.

Despite the calls for help and the solidarity campaigns that have arisen from both within and outside the island, the government has not ensured sufficient shelters or resources for those affected.

The social media has become the only channel to seek help, report issues, and find solidarity, in the face of an absent state and a disaster that has left a deep emotional and material wound on the population.