Three weeks after the devastating passage of Hurricane Melissa, eastern Cuba continues to struggle to heal its deepest wounds. Official figures speak of progress, percentages, and "certification processes," but in the towns of Holguín, Granma, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantánamo, recovery feels less like a calculation and more like a human experience.
A slow, uneven path marked by the anxiety of thousands of families who are still grappling with damage to their homes, a lack of basic services, and the uncertainty of how long it will take to return to normalcy.
This Monday, the National Defense Council met again to assess the state of recovery. From the Palace of the Revolution, and through videoconferences with all provinces, the government aimed to present a picture of “progress,” although the statements from local authorities revealed a still tense situation, especially in rural communities and the most affected municipalities.
Electricity: high percentages, unequal realities
The First Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines, Argelio Abad Vigoa, stated that the eastern region shows a restoration of 84.8% of the electricity service. Holguín and Granma have figures above 90%, Guantánamo is approaching 99%, and Las Tunas is already "at 100%."
But Santiago de Cuba remains the exception, with only 60% of the service restored, especially areas like Contramaestre being particularly affected.
Although the provincial capital has nearly normalized energy, according to the authorities, thousands of families in interior municipalities continue to rely on generators, temporary lines, or extended blackouts.
Water: progress in some areas, setbacks in others
The water supply presents a similarly unequal picture. In Holguín, the affected population is almost fully recovered, although specific issues persist in Urbano Noris and Mayarí.
In contrast, Granma has not yet managed to recover because the rains from the cold front following the hurricane forced the dismantling of equipment and delayed essential setups, they said.
Each setback directly affects thousands of households where mothers, the elderly, and children continue to carry buckets, relying on water trucks or storing what arrives after hours.
Housing: the most painful part, the slowest, and the least transparent
Although the meeting focused on services and infrastructure, the provincial authorities acknowledged that the greatest extent of damage is in the homes, where roofs have been torn off, walls have collapsed, and structures have been weakened.
In many towns, families continue to live under tarps, sleeping in makeshift shelters, or taking refuge in neighbors' homes.
In Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, and Granma, a definitive accounting has not yet been achieved, and there is ongoing concern that a significant portion of the losses will not be recovered in the short term due to the materials crisis the country is facing.
Vials and communications: the country remains "fragmented."
The Minister of Transport, Eduardo Rodríguez, reported on the certification of the central route to Santiago and the beginning of the review of the Jobabo–Guamo–Bayamo section, one of the most severely damaged. Without roads, aid is delayed. Without roads, daily life is also affected.
Fixed telephony has recovered by 83.2%, and mobile telephony by 88%, percentages that do not always correspond with what communities experience, where intermittent signals continue to hinder procedures, emergencies, or contacting family members who have emigrated.
While the government insists that the recovery is "progressing," the reality in eastern Cuba shows that Melissa not only left physical destruction but also exposed vulnerabilities that had accumulated over the years. Daily life is being reassembled, yes, but with patches, community efforts, and a great deal of uncertainty.
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