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The Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel visited several communities in the municipality of Río Cauto, in the province of Granma, on Tuesday, which were severely affected by the flooding caused by Hurricane Melissa, repeating his usual promises of support and reconstruction that, according to Cubans, “are never fulfilled.”
According to a report from the page Presidencia Cuba on Facebook, the president of the National Defense Council also toured the community of El Recreo, where more than 14,000 people had to be evacuated.
There he assured the neighbors that “no one will be left helpless” and that “the country will help them to rise up.”
The producers and neighbors told the president how Hurricane Melissa and the resulting floods caused the loss of months of work in cassava, sweet potato, and banana plantations, as well as a road that had been built last year.
In El Recreo, one of the most affected areas, the crops of pepper, squash, corn, and sweet potato were completely destroyed. Most homes suffered damage, and many families lost everything.
Of the 20,570 residents of the municipality, more than 14,000 were evacuated to makeshift centers or the homes of relatives.
Díaz-Canel, accompanied by local authorities from the Communist Party, inquired about the status of water and food and requested to “follow the health safety protocols.”
He also toured the settlement of San Marcos, where producers from the Carlos Bastidas Azcuy Cooperative explained the losses in crops and rural roads devastated by the flooding of the Cauto River.
"You are hard-working people, you will recover; the most important thing is that we are alive," said the leader, without providing specific details about the assistance that the victims will receive or timelines for reconstruction.
The ruler once again used the same speech he employs after every natural disaster, assuring that “no one will be left homeless.”
However, in communities still awaiting repairs from the damage caused by Hurricane Ian (2022) or the floods of 2023, their words sound hollow.
In Camilo Cienfuegos, another community in Río Cauto, more than 1,000 people were evacuated following the overflow of the river.
Díaz-Canel also visited the evacuation center set up in the Batalla de Guisa school, where around 600 people are staying. There, he urged for “patience” and warned that returning home should only happen “when conditions allow.”
The passage of Hurricane Melissa left a desolate landscape in eastern Cuba: thousands of homes destroyed, crops lost, impassable roads, and communities cut off.
Despite this, the government continues to lack a concrete reconstruction plan, beyond official visits and promises.
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