Rachel and her husband are living through what no one should have to endure. Hurricane Melissa swept away their little house in Cayo Granma, in the province of Santiago de Cuba, leaving them with nothing. Just ruins, soaked memories, and the daunting task of starting over from scratch.
“We are here inside the house, practically under the rubble. We have nothing. The cyclone swept everything away, it blew off the roof, the walls fell down... We lost the mattresses, we lost everything. At least we are alive,” Rachel said in a video shared by the platform Conducta Dade.
She and her husband, Eliano, are surviving thanks to the support of a relative who temporarily took them in. They have no money to buy food or building materials, and they claim that the situation on the island "is very tough." Nevertheless, they insist on staying in their homeland, hoping to one day build a new house on the ruins.
Stories like Rachel's are echoed throughout Cayo Granma, a place that was already vulnerable and where many families have now lost absolutely everything. Cecilia also lives there, having taken responsibility for her 96-year-old father after witnessing the cyclone sweep away what little they had.
"Look at the conditions... the wardrobe, the table, the bed, I lost everything. I'm cooking with firewood because I have no other place. I have no medicine or food. But I thank God, because neither my father nor I lost our lives," she reported.
Cayo Granma is a small community that can only be accessed by sea. If official aid barely reaches the cities, it is even less likely to reach this forgotten islet, where residents survive on limited resources, relying on the solidarity of other Cubans.
The images shared by Conducta Dade depict destroyed houses, streets covered in mud, and families who have lost everything. But they also reveal the other side of the tragedy: Cubans both on the island and abroad who have mobilized to help, sending messages, donations, and support to those who are enduring amidst the rubble.
"Thanks to everyone who is supporting, every gesture counts," says the original post. It also adds that the video shares the contact information for Rachel and Cecilia for those who wish to help directly.
While state aid continues to be absent, hope in Cayo Granma remains strong thanks to faith, dignity, and solidarity, that silent strength that unites Cubans when they need it most.
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