A Cuban identified as Richar Alarcón reported on social media the poor conditions in one of the evacuation centers in the municipality of Río Cauto, in the province of Granma, where dozens of families remain sheltered following the flooding caused by Hurricane Melissa.
In a video posted on Facebook, Alarcón claims that the evacuees in the area known as Vado del Yeso have been “two days without eating,” and accuses the Cuban government of concealing the severity of the situation while official media only publish favorable news about the handling of the emergency.
The Cuban government publishes what it finds convenient, but the reality is what we see: abandoned people, evacuated without food, in Vado del Yeso, Río Cauto province. They have gone two days without eating. The famous mipimes are the ones selling at exorbitant prices because the Cuban government has no way to tackle this situation, he expressed.
Meanwhile, reports from Bayamo indicate that several evacuation centers in the city have received support from the community, with neighbors bringing food, toys, and donations for the children and families displaced by the flooding of the Cauto River.
However, the situation in the evacuation centers in Río Cauto seems very different.
It angers me a bit, because in Bayamo, people are behaving well, bringing food and toys to the evacuated children. It cannot be that here, in Río Cauto, we have gone days without food and have to wait for help from others. It cannot be that people from outside are taking better care of us than we do ourselves,” lamented the internet user Marcos Reinier Tarragó Rosabal, who called for preparing a stew for the evacuees at the local Polytechnic.
The hurricane Melissa caused serious damage in eastern Cuba, with overflowing rivers, isolated communities, and thousands of people evacuated. Although authorities claim to be working on the delivery of food and basic supplies, reports from the ground reveal deficiencies in humanitarian assistance and a lack of local coordination.
Alarcón's complaint adds to other citizen reports that highlight the challenges faced by evacuees in the affected areas.
While state media speaks of "order" and "control of the situation," social networks have become the primary channel for disseminating videos and images of communities with limited resources.
In Bayamo and other nearby areas, neighbors have organized collections to send food, clothing, and medicines to the evacuation centers in the municipality of Río Cauto.
The tragedy has once again highlighted the vulnerability of eastern Cuba to natural disasters and the lack of resources to respond to large-scale emergencies.
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