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Families in rural areas of Holguín are literally surviving amidst mud and the elements after the flooding caused by the recent heavy rains, when many had not yet recovered from the devastation of Hurricane Melissa.
A tour of the channel La Familia Cubana through communities in Holguín, such as Yaguabo and Mayarí, reveals homes with eroded floors, destroyed mattresses, walls torn away by the river, and elderly individuals struggling to move with canes in houses where even the floor is no longer safe.
In one of the houses visited, an elderly woman moves with difficulty, leaning on a cane.
His relatives say that he fell into an open hole in the floor of the house, a gap left by water that penetrated with force and lifted the ground.
“I thought I was fine, but when I went, I just… left”, the woman recounts, as visitors point to the spot where she collapsed.
The hole was "filled" as best as possible with dirt and zinc sheets, but it remains a point of danger within the house, especially at night when the darkness makes it difficult to see the sharp edges of the metal.
The owner of the house explains that a mother and her daughter lived there, each with her own bed.
Today, there is only one “pillow-top” mattress left, damp and misshapen, partially salvaged from the water. “The other mattress was completely ruined by the river and is no longer usable. Now it's just me and her here,” he says, while showing the mark left by the lost bed.
To be able to sit down, they have had to cover the springs with boards and fabrics, in a precarious attempt to regain some comfort on a still wet piece of furniture.
The walls were washed away by the rising waters. “This was closed off… the river, when it rises and has no place to go, flows back and makes a hole here,” the woman explains, pointing to the spot where the water came in with greater force.
The team from La Familia Cubana describes the dwelling as a “severely affected house,” situated almost on the edge of the river.
In the surroundings, others report that tree branches have fallen on people, leaving injured individuals who, fortunately, "are well," but who reveal the vulnerability of those who have lost almost everything.
In the midst of the mud, donations of food and basic items arrive as temporary relief, although the general feeling is one of uncertainty with every new downpour.
The images and testimonies from Mayarí are part of a broader context of heavy rains and rising rivers in the eastern region of the country.
In Holguín, recent rainfall amounted to 109 mm, leading to flooding and necessitating the protection of water supply systems to prevent further damage, according to reports from the local official press.
More than 11,000 customers in Sagua de Tánamo continue to receive service, while the reservoirs, which are reported to be in good technical condition, are being monitored.
In the east of Holguín, the evacuation of residents from low-lying areas continues due to rising rivers in Sagua de Tánamo and Moa, affecting various localities, including the Pedro Soto Alba neighborhood (Ecrin).
The previous Wednesday, the intense rainfall had already overflowed the Sagua and Cabañas rivers, forcing the urgent evacuation of hundreds of families in the municipalities of Sagua de Tánamo and Moa, which are considered among the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Melissa.
While the official reports talk about controlled reservoirs, monitoring, and evacuation operations, the footage from those coming with aid shows families who, like those in Mayarí, continue sleeping on damp mattresses, moving over broken floors and living with the river just a few meters from their doorstep, literally between the mud and under the stars, constantly fearing that a new flood will carry away the little they were able to save.
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