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A mother with a disability and her minor child are living in a "varentierra" in the Holguin locality of San Andrés after losing their home to Hurricane Melissa, while no one from the government or Civil Defense has responded to their situation.
In this regard, the exiled doctor and activist Alexander Jesús Figueredo Izaguirre reported through his Facebook account the case of these individuals, who are living in inhumane conditions in the neighborhood of El Llano, in San Andrés, part of the municipality of Holguín.
According to his account, they both sleep on the dirt floor, covered by a thatched roof supported by wooden poles, with no access to drinking water, food, or medical care.
"The regime speaks of 'victories' and 'revolutionary solidarity,' but no one has gone to see them," Figueredo wrote, who posted images of the location and shared the contact number for those who wish to offer assistance.
The complaint contrasts with the official propaganda regarding the recovery following the storm.
While the government and the ruling military elite
"There is no budget for a mattress or a mat," the doctor pointed out, affirming that "Cuba is blocked not by anyone else but by its own dictatorship."
The post sparked a wave of reactions on social media. Users like Karina de los Ángeles Tornés Fonseca recalled the images of rural poverty that the revolution led by dictator Fidel Castro (1926-2016) promised to eradicate and compared the current situation to Cuba in the 1950s.
Others, such as Víctor Pérez and Nani Tower, denounced the systematic abandonment and indifference of the State.
"The saddest thing is that that mother and her child were already living like this before the hurricane," commented one user, while others demanded justice and urgent help.
The case, beyond the individual tragedy, has become a symbol of the abandonment and lack of protection suffered by thousands of Cubans in rural areas.
The "varentierra," also known as bahío, bohío, or ranch of sticks on the ground, is a traditional peasant construction made from natural materials such as palms, sticks, vines, and logs. It is built directly on the ground and features a low, aerodynamic structure that reduces the impact of hurricane winds.
Before Melissa's arrival on October 28, the President of the Provincial Defense Council and First Secretary of the Communist Party in Guantánamo, Yoel Pérez García, toured the communities of Maca and Casimba in the Niceto Pérez municipality to assess the evacuation process of families in such housing.
The Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel visited several communities in the municipality of Río Cauto, in the province of Granma, which were severely affected by the flooding caused by the devastating weather phenomenon.
There he assured the neighbors that “no one will be left helpless” and that “the country will help them rise again”.
He, Díaz-Canel again employed a poetic and triumphant tone when addressing the crisis the country is facing after the passage of Melissa, stating that Cubans are “resilient like the palms that stand tall” against the fiercest winds.
In contrast, a humanitarian aid initiative aimed at an elderly resident of the town of Juan Vicente, in the municipality of Mayarí, Holguín province, has gone viral on digital platforms.
The mobilization arose following the release of a video that documented the total destruction of her home, after the storm passed.
In the poignant images, Pilar, the elderly woman affected, is seen standing among the rubble of her devastated home. While she is comforted by two young visitors, she cannot hold back her tears, expressing profound sorrow.
"Where am I going to live, my dear, where? I spend the whole day crying, seeing the conditions I am in, looking at my little house," she lamented.
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