The hurricane Melissa left a scene of devastation in the municipality of Contramaestre, in the province of Santiago de Cuba, where an entire neighborhood was completely underwater and covered in mud after several rivers in the area overflowed.
The journalist Mario J. Pentón shared a harrowing video on his social media that shows the roofs of houses barely visible among the mud and brown water. In the footage, a neighbor laments: "Look at how this is... Yamilé's house, my house... Oh my God, this is over. I've lost my home, I've lost my home..."
The images, recorded after the hurricane passed through eastern Cuba, reveal total destruction. Uprooted trees, collapsed roofs, and streets turned into rivers depict the magnitude of the disaster.
In the group Revolico Contramaestre, the user Yonh Luis Abreu Alonso posted more than 20 pictures with the description: “In Contramaestre, total disaster…”, depicting roofs stripped from houses, fallen power poles, and trees twisted by the force of the wind.
Desperation and solidarity on social media
Hundreds of Cubans both inside and outside the island reacted to the video shared by Pentón. The comments reflect pain, helplessness, and a deep sense of abandonment:
"Every time I see something like this about my town, my heart breaks," wrote one user. "It's very sad to lose everything, especially knowing that nothing gets recovered easily in this country," added another. "I live in Camagüey, but if anyone needs shelter, my home is open," offered a third.
Other users reported the lack of response from the Cuban regime: “Those in power are sitting around holding roundtable discussions while the people are without homes or food,” commented one internet user. “The government says not to believe what is posted on social media, but the truth is there, under the water,” added another.
A family drama that reflects the pain of many
The suffering in Contramaestre is also reflected in the story of Grey, a Cuban resident in Miami who shared on TikTok how Hurricane Melissa reduced her mother's house, also in that Santiago locality, to rubble. In the video, the young woman shows collapsed walls, destroyed furniture, and personal belongings covered in cement, with the message: “And that’s how my mother’s house ended up… what pain, my God.”
Grey explained that his mother survived, although she lost everything she had, and promised to help her from abroad: “It’s not easy to witness this from afar.” His testimony has become a symbol of the pain and resilience of the Cubans, repeatedly struck by natural disasters and the precariousness of the system.
Melissa took the eastern part of Cuba by storm
The hurricane Melissa, a category 3 storm, made landfall in the early hours of October 29 along the southern coast of Santiago de Cuba, with winds reaching up to 195 km/h and torrential rain. The cyclone left a trail of destruction in the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Guantánamo, Holguín, and Las Tunas, with more than 250 mm of accumulated rainfall reported in Santiago alone, according to official reports and local residents.
In Cayo Granma, the images portray a bleak landscape: collapsed houses, overturned boats, and families without shelter. In Palma Soriano and Baire, the streets were left covered in debris and uprooted trees. Even the Santuario del Cobre, one of the country's most iconic sites, suffered structural damage.
The impact of Melissa was widespread. According to images shared from various provinces, the hurricane left a trail of destruction, flooding, and chaos in municipalities throughout eastern Cuba, with hundreds of homes damaged and severe disruptions to communications and electrical services.
As the number of affected families increases, the regime’s media remains silent or downplays the damage. Residents report the lack of immediate assistance, the absence of electricity, and the difficulty in communicating with the most impacted areas.
"They say everything is fine from Havana, but nothing is left here," wrote a resident of Contramaestre on social media.
In the midst of tragedy, the Cuban people once again lean on their solidarity and faith. “Material things can be recovered,” a woman said on Facebook, “but it takes longer for the soul to rise from the mud.”
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