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The passage of Hurricane Melissa through eastern Cuba left a profound impact on the town of El Cobre, in the province of Santiago de Cuba, where the damage to the road infrastructure was classified as "severe" by the regime's own authorities.
The Minister of Transport, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, reported on Facebook that a team led by the First Deputy Minister, Luis Roberto Rosés, along with officials from the Communist Party of Cuba, toured the most affected areas on Saturday, noting the severe deterioration of the roads connecting several rural communities.
Among the most affected areas are El Pajuil and Ampliación de Combatientes, where residents are facing a critical situation. In El Pajuil, vehicle passage has been completely blocked, and residents are forced to cross rivers on foot to reach their homes, putting their lives at risk.
Meanwhile, in Ampliación de Combatientes, a landslide has caused an undermining of the road, which could jeopardize the stability of the route and worsen the isolation of residents if urgent action is not taken.
Rodríguez Dávila assured that the Ministry of Transport is working on coordinating actions with local authorities to restore access to communities, although he did not provide a clear timeline for recovery.
The purpose of the visit was to assess the assurance of transportation for resources and passengers. They also needed to oversee the cleaning and restoration efforts carried out by a brigade from the province of Camagüey.
In addition to the affected roads, this phenomenon left homes destroyed, streets blocked, and entire families without basic resources. "90% of El Cobre has been left with nothing," residents told state media.
This is a community that has historically suffered from neglect by the state and poverty. It now faces the challenge of rebuilding itself amid the national economic crisis and with increasingly scarce resources.
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