Residents of Songo-La Maya, in the province of Santiago de Cuba, remain completely cut off after the total collapse of the Baltony bridge (Los Reynaldo), destroyed by the intense rains and rising rivers caused by Hurricane Melissa, which has left a bleak landscape in eastern Cuba.
The official journalist Miguel Reyes (Miguel Noticias) shared on Facebook the testimony of a resident who reported the complete isolation of the town.
"Our town is completely cut off. The bridge that connects Baltony with the municipality has been completely destroyed," the woman wrote.
The message, accompanied by a video that illustrates the extent of the disaster, reflects the despair of dozens of families who were left trapped without access roads or communication.
The structure, which served as a vital link between the rural communities and the urban center of Songo-La Maya, could not withstand the impact of the overflowing water after years of neglect and lack of proper maintenance.
The comments on the post reflect widespread frustration.
"God knows when this government will provide them with help," wrote a Cuban from Havana. "I see them swimming, because the government will take its time to help them," mocked a resident in Miami.
The outrage was also evident in another user's comment: "With so many soldiers in Cuba just standing around, they should go there and build a temporary bridge while the water level goes down."
The strong currents caused by the overflowing river swept away what little remained of the bridge, leaving behind a scene of isolation, material losses, and helplessness.
Communities Underwater
The collapse of the Baltony bridge is not an isolated event.
In the neighboring province of Guantánamo, the towns of Guaibanó and El Corojo, in the municipality of San Antonio del Sur, were also cut off due to rising rivers, according to a report from the same source.
Furthermore, the rise of the Sabanalamar River blocks the way to Macambo, leaving more rural communities completely isolated.
While local authorities assure that technical teams will intervene once the waters recede, the residents are facing the emergency alone, without food, transportation, medical care, or any news about when help will arrive.
The cost of abandonment
The tragedy in Songo-La Maya is the direct result of decades of disinvestment in infrastructure and state neglect.
Now, families in the area are living in a critical situation: without evacuation routes, without electrical power, and without access to hospitals or basic supplies.
Neighbors report a lack of government assistance, relying solely on mutual solidarity to survive.
The president of the Provincial Defense Council, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, admitted on television that the situation in Santiago de Cuba is "very complex", although she did not provide details about the areas that are cut off or specific plans for assistance.
Floods, landslides, and silence
Hurricane Melissa struck eastern Cuba with sustained winds of 165 km/h, causing floods, landslides, and substantial material losses along its path.
The municipalities of Palma Soriano, San Luis, Contramaestre, and El Cobre also report severe damage. Flooded streets, torn roofs, fallen poles, and destroyed homes are now part of the everyday landscape.
In Guantánamo, where Melissa struck with equal intensity, persistent rains have destroyed rural roads and bridges, and isolation is a recurring issue throughout the region.
The images circulating on social media show entire neighborhoods submerged in water, with no phone signal or access to transportation.
Despite the chaos, the government response remains slow, bureaucratic, and focused on TV statements, while communities await urgent relief.
A country that is crumbling
The destruction of the Baltony bridge and the isolation of Songo-La Maya are the starkest reflections of a country crumbling under the lethal combination of natural disasters and structural neglect.
Meanwhile, the official discourse attempts to downplay the disaster; hurricanes exacerbate what is already a systemic crisis: crumbling infrastructure, precarious housing, collapsed public services, and a state unable to protect its population.
In eastern Cuba, where Hurricane Melissa has left entire towns cut off, the disaster comes not only from the heavens but also from the official abandonment that has condemned thousands of families to helplessness for years.
Songo-La Maya, Guaibanó, and El Corojo are now symbols of a broken country, where bridges not only collapse under the water but also under the weight of a system that stopped supporting them long ago.
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