Cuban TikToker Freddy King Flow traveled to the community of Vallate in Guantánamo to deliver donations to families who lost nearly everything after Hurricane Melissa, in one of the hardest-hit areas of eastern Cuba.
The images shared on social media depict a reality very different from what Miguel Díaz-Canel described, who claimed days earlier that the damage in the province was “minor” and that the territory “could recover with its own strength and resources.”
In the videos published by the creator, you can see houses with no roofs, collapsed walls, and families cooking among debris, while they express their gratitude for the donations collected by their supporters.
Freddy King Flow, with a calm and moved tone, recounted that "the people welcomed us with tears in their eyes, as many of the houses had lost their roofs and many were completely destroyed and on the ground."
The young man explained that his team ventured into intricate places to deliver basic food items such as rice, sugar, chicken, oil, and soft drinks.
"They didn't know what to do; seeing all those destroyed houses, we also lacked the words to brighten their day, but somehow we were able to do something positive for these people," he said in one of the videos recorded amidst ruins and muddy streets.
Unlike the government's triumphant discourse, Freddy's content reveals the hopelessness and neglect of families that still do not receive official aid. In one of the scenes, the TikToker hands a bag of groceries to a man who has lost the roof over his home.
"I know that the roof doesn't fix everything, but even if it's just for a day and a half of food," she says empathetically. The man, visibly exhausted, simply thanks her with a "thank you for coming."
Another of the most striking images shows a man preparing food on an improvised stove, while Freddy comments: “A cyclone passed through, there’s no food, nothing has arrived at the store... but look how they eat that with joy, as if nothing could bring them down.”
At one point in the video, the young man emphasizes that the support comes not from any institution, but from ordinary people who have come together from both inside and outside the country. “If we are the face, behind us there are many people who gave up what they had to support those in need,” he stated, acknowledging the backing of his community on social media.
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