Related videos:
Residents of the Grito de Yara community, in Río Cauto, Granma, reported this Saturday that they feel “completely abandoned,” lacking communications and basic assistance after the flooding caused by Hurricane Melissa.
In messages shared on Facebook from the very locality, residents describe hunger, desperation, and days without electricity, stating that “if it weren't for the assistance from this country, we would be in deep trouble,” while urgently requesting support and visibility for their situation.
The posts—accompanied by photos that speak for themselves—state that there has been no communication since Monday, no help has arrived, and many relatives remain unaccounted for confirmed.
"Despair, hunger, and the lack of communication are just some of the countless problems facing the Grito de Yara community," notes one of the messages, which emphasizes that residents from different areas are seeking someone to "speak up" for them.
At 9:00 a.m. this Saturday, another text captures the spirit of the neighborhood: “Cry of Yara... hold on!”
Meanwhile, provincial authorities released guidelines for the complete evacuation of the settlement in anticipation of the prediction that “the water will rise and then fall”, and announced the deployment of army amphibious vehicles to transport residents to the road, where they would be picked up and taken to safe locations.
The official notices urge residents to prepare the essentials and evacuate without exceptions to reduce risks while the floods persist.
The plan also includes that four helicopters from the Revolutionary Armed Forces will conduct rescue and recovery operations over the area. Residents are advised to move to higher ground and make visible signals to facilitate their identification from the air and coordinate extraction points.
The instructions come from the Civil Defense Committee of the Granma province, which is calling for community collaboration to expedite evacuations.
The contrast between the neighborhood calls for help —which report shortages and a lack of immediate response— and the evacuation orders —with military resources and aircraft on the way— underscores the intensity of an ongoing emergency.
While authorities reiterate that everyone must evacuate, residents of Grito de Yara insist that help "never arrives" and demand clear information on where and how they will be relocated, as well as guarantees for restoring communications and access to food and water in the coming hours.
In the municipality of Río Cauto, Granma province, the basin of the emblematic river — the longest in Cuba — went under pressure due to the heavy rains that accompanied Hurricane Melissa.
The phenomenon caused high levels of precipitation, leading to sudden rises in river flows, flooding in riverside areas, and the disruption of access routes to rural communities in the municipality.
It was also documented that the local infrastructure suffered serious damage: houses were completely flooded, electrical networks were affected and isolation became a critical situation for hundreds of people.
At least 800 people have been evacuated from the riverside towns of Río Cauto due to rising river waters, which have "cut off one of the main east-west routes on the island."
Provincial authorities acknowledged a "very complex situation" in Granma due to the arrival of Melissa, which makes this municipality one of the most vulnerable.
Alerts were issued for rough seas and extreme rainfall, and evacuations were prioritized in coastal, mountainous, and flood-prone river areas.
Filed under: