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The opponent José Daniel Ferrer, leader of the Cuban Patriotic Union (UNPACU), reported this Thursday on the critical situation facing many residents of Santiago following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, with communities remaining without electricity, fuel, or basic resources for cooking or feeding themselves.
"I am informed by dozens of people who are without electricity, without food, without fuel to prepare whatever they can. The communist regime has only sold them a pound of sugar and a kilo of rice. The number of patients with arboviral diseases is increasing, and it is very difficult to find medicine. Everything is chaotic. Cuba needs to change," Ferrer wrote on his Facebook account, alongside images of torn roofs, damaged homes, and streets in Santiago.
"It's time to put an end to a criminal regime composed of abusers and inept individuals," he added from Miami, where he was recently exiled by the regime along with his family.
"Images of Santiago de Cuba and Palma Soriano after the passage of Hurricane Melissa. It's time for solidarity with our brothers. Down with tyranny!!!," he had said in another post.
Impacts in Santiago de Cuba
After the passage of Hurricane Melissa, the province faces severe material damage: partial collapses, fallen electrical poles, detached roofs, and flooded streets. The president of the Provincial Defense Council, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, acknowledged that the situation "is very complex" and that the rains and winds "have caused impacts throughout the province."
The phenomenon, which entered the country with sustained winds of 195 km/h and heavy rainfall, particularly affected the municipalities of Guamá, Palma Soriano, San Luis, Contramaestre, and El Cobre, where damaged homes, interrupted roads, and outages in electricity and communications have been reported. Provincial authorities themselves confirmed that the damage is extensive and that assessment efforts are ongoing.
Before the impact, Santiago de Cuba was already facing a very deteriorated social and economic situation. The province was experiencing long lines at foreign currency stores in anticipation of the cyclone and prices that were unattainable for most citizens.
The independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada also documented the desperation of the people on Avenida Martí, where dozens of individuals rushed a truckload of ground beef in search of food, and reported that the residents of the coastal town of Sigua claimed they had not received any food or government aid despite the imminent hurricane.
The delivery of a “food package” in the municipality of Mella for seniors over 65 years old was also reported, which included a can of sardines, a package of spaghetti, and a pack of cigarettes. This raised criticism due to the limited state assistance amidst a national emergency.
Blackouts before and after Melissa
Before the hurricane's approach, the Electric Union of Cuba (UNE) announced the preventive disconnection of the Renté, Felton, and Moa thermoelectric plants, a decision that left a large part of the eastern region of the country without electrical service.
Yesterday, following the impact of Melissa, the Electric Company of Santiago de Cuba confirmed in a statement published on Facebook that assessment and repair work could not yet begin because the province remains in a cyclonic alarm phase, and that recovery will be gradual, prioritizing hospitals, water pumping, and evacuation centers. The images released by the entity showed collapsed poles, transformers, and power lines, highlighting the extent of the damage to the network.
Call and thanks for the solidarity
After the hurricane, Ferrer has emphasized the need to support the most affected families and the opposition figures living in precarious conditions in eastern Cuba. In a recent message, he explained that the priority right now is to deliver aid quickly and effectively.
"We are immersed in many things related to the fight for Cuba's freedom; there is barely enough time even to sleep properly, we are racing against the clock. However, the most important thing right now is to support the opponents and families of political prisoners in the areas affected by Hurricane Melissa. We urgently need help for them," he wrote on Facebook, also providing a contact number to coordinate shipments.
A few hours later, Ferrer reported that they were already receiving assistance thanks to the solidarity response of the Cuban exile community and expressed gratitude for the contributions of lawyer Marcell Felipe, president of the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora, and communicator Miguel Cossio, executive director of that institution, for their support of political prisoners, activists, and affected families in the eastern region.
In a later post, Ferrer shared a video in which opponents and family members of political prisoners called for solidarity following Hurricane Melissa. In the message, he emphasized that assistance was already reaching the eastern part of the country thanks to the generosity of several exiled patriots, including Los Pichy Boys, Marcell Felipe, and Miguel Cossio.
As authorities assess the damage and electricity has yet to reach much of eastern Cuba, hundreds of families continue to struggle to survive amidst loss and uncertainty. From both inside and outside the country, the call for solidarity aims to provide relief, even if only partially, from the impact of a tragedy that once again tests the resilience of the people of Santiago.
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