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Two weeks after the passage of the hurricane Melissa, the communities of the Plan Turquino in the municipality of Pilón continue to face severe damage to their roads, with sections where transportation is only possible via pack mule. Landslides, roadblocks, and the accumulated deterioration of infrastructure keep several settlements isolated.
The president of the Municipal Defense Council, Dayamis Silva Lara, confirmed that the basic food basket is still being transported through a mixed system, where products arrive by truck as far as the road permits, and from there, they must be loaded by muleteers who distribute them among the mountain communities. An image that reveals the extent of the damage and the fragility of the rural roads in Turquino.
In his report, Silva Lara explained that the muleteers climb hundreds of feet in elevation over extended days to ensure that the basic necessities reach families that remain virtually cut off from communication.
The problem is not exclusive to Pilón. In the eastern provinces, the passage of Melissa left a trail of blocked roads, undermined bridges, and isolated communities. In Santiago de Cuba, authorities reported roads covered by landslides, overflowing rivers, and roadblocks that hindered access even to evacuation areas.
The damages were classified as severe in towns like El Cobre, where the destruction of roads left several neighborhoods in a critical situation.
In addition, various reports indicated that the restoration of the roads is progressing slowly due to a lack of resources, the complexity of the mountainous terrain, and the previous deterioration of the infrastructure.
In several municipalities in the east, there are still power outages, impassable sections, and roads where only specialized equipment can operate, leaving hundreds of families relying on makeshift solutions to access food and basic services.
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