From his office, Díaz-Canel calls to "focus" on recovery, while towns in Cuba remain flooded

The Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel urged to “pour efforts” into the recovery of the eastern provinces, in a message delivered from the comfort of an office, while entire families remain cut off due to the rains and flooding caused by Hurricane Melissa.

While flooding, power outages, blocked roads, and isolated communities persist in Holguín, Granma, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantánamo, the regime leader is issuing orders from an office.

The presidential appeal for institutional discipline and to “preserve life” has reignited criticism on social media due to the contrast between the rhetoric of control and the slow delivery of effective aid in the hardest-hit areas.

According to the official framework, recovery relies on the preparation and organization of the state apparatus, a narrative that has been reinforced in public messages from senior officials and ministries that, alongside the emergency, have launched political reaffirmation campaigns.

"After touring four of the most affected provinces, the president stated this Saturday that the most significant damage occurred in Santiago de Cuba, while unfavorable conditions continue in the Granma municipalities of Río Cauto and Cauto Cristo due to flooding," said the official account of the Presidency of Cuba.

This emphasis on communication has been questioned by citizens and activists who demand clear information about material damages, timelines for the restoration of services and access roads, as well as a timely aid logistics that reaches the flooded neighborhoods.

While reports of overflowing rivers, impassable roads, and downed power lines continue, the state response focuses on meetings of the Defense Council and follow-up reports that lack detailed breakdowns of damages or verifiable assessments by municipality.

In this context, Díaz-Canel's call to "rally" for recovery is perceived from the east as a distant exhortation: affected families report delays in evacuations, insufficient food deliveries, and a gap between what is announced from Havana and what is realized in towns and local councils.

The tension between the government narrative and the reality on the ground defines this post-impact phase: on one side, a story of centralized control and "lives preserved"; on the other, communities still underwater or without power and telecommunications, waiting for crews, fuel, and equipment to restore routes and basic services. In this context, the social demand is clear: fewer slogans and more verifiable details about damages, priorities, and response times for a recovery that, according to those affected, has yet to take off at the pace promised by official reports.