Man rescued in Holguín after spending three days on the roof of his flooded house

An Army helicopter rescued a man on Monday who had been trapped for three days on the roof of his flooded home in the municipality of Cacocum, Holguín, after the Cauto River overflowed due to the heavy rains associated with Hurricane Melissa.

The rescued individual, identified as Raciel Rodríguez Pérez, was hoisted by a steel cable into the aircraft after having remained isolated and without food in the midst of a vast flooded area, reported the portal Cubadebate.

The aerial operation was part of the emergency response deployed to rescue 11 people who were trapped in the community of Altagracia, one of the most affected areas by the flooding in eastern Cuba.

According to the report, the helicopter was operating in a hover while the rescuers descended via a cable to place harnesses and lift those trapped.

The commander of the aircraft, Colonel Alfredo Áreas Martínez, coordinated the maneuvers alongside First Colonel Luis de la Cruz and the delegate of the People's Power, Raciel Castillo Verdecia.

Rodríguez Pérez was first transferred to the town of Maceo, where he was reunited with his family. Then, the aircraft returned to continue the evacuation of the rest of those affected, including Julio César Fonseca and his son Ever, who had been sheltering on the roof of the local medical clinic for several days.

The images captured by photojournalist Juan Pablo Carreras show the moment when helicopters transport survivors to safety, in an operation that, according to authorities, helped prevent a greater tragedy.

The increase in the flow of the Cauto River—the longest in Cuba—caused severe flooding in several municipalities of Holguín and Granma.

The Salado River, a tributary of the Cauto, swelled its banks and flooded entire communities, leaving dozens of families cut off and without access to food or basic services.

The intense rains recorded since the end of October, combined with the passing of hurricane Melissa, have worsened the already precarious situation in the eastern region, where power outages, damage to homes, and significant agricultural losses persist.

Colonel Áreas Martínez, with over 3,000 flight hours accumulated, expressed that he felt “happy and relieved” after the rescue. “Joy, just like them,” he said when asked by a journalist, while watching the reunion of the rescued individuals with their families at the baseball field in the town of Maceo.

After completing the mission in Holguín, the helicopter set course towards the province of Granma to join the ongoing rescue operations due to the floods caused by the overflow of the Cauto River.