The rescuer Aris Arias Batalla posted an alert on social media warning about the risks faced by residents of high-rise buildings when cooking with charcoal or firewood due to prolonged power outages, a practice that can become a collective health threat in elevated floors.
The provincial chief of Operations and Relief of the Cuban Red Cross in Santiago de Cuba directed his call, titled "The Other Side of Height", to the authorities responsible for managing the energy crisis. His complaint focuses on the Sierra Maestra complex, popularly known as the "18 Garzón Plants", located on Victoriano Garzón Avenue, as well as on other tall buildings in the city.
"While a family in a low-rise building can cook with charcoal or firewood in a ventilated patio or rooftop, in a 15th or 18th-floor apartment, that same option becomes a public health issue," wrote Arias.
The rescuer explains that smoke and toxic gases do not dissipate at higher altitudes: they concentrate in hallways, staircases, and ventilation ducts, affecting dozens of residents, particularly children, the elderly, and individuals with respiratory illnesses such as asthma.
"It's not the same standard of discomfort; it's a discomfort that literally suffocates," he warns.
In his publication, he makes a reasonable request: "The smoke from cooking with charcoal or firewood harms neighbors. Please connect these buildings to prioritized electrical circuits."
The health risks of cooking with charcoal or firewood in enclosed or semi-open spaces are serious: carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless and can accumulate to the point of causing poisoning or death, while fine particulate matter (PM2.5) penetrates deep into the lungs and can trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks, and arrhythmias.
The World Health Organization warns that in homes with biomass stoves lacking proper ventilation, pollutant levels can be up to 100 times higher than the recommended limits.
In light of this situation, Arias Batalla requests that contingency plans include a "height factor" in the distribution of resources: small generators for pumping water and liquefied gas for cooking.
"I am not asking for magic solutions. I am asking for sensitivity and prioritization," he wrote.
"A blackout is not just darkness, but also thirst, immobility, and health risks," emphasized the regime official.
The letter also enumerates other problems that the energy crisis particularly exacerbates in upper floors: drinking water does not reach by gravity and must be pumped to elevated tanks using electricity or fuel that is in short supply; the elevators stop working, turning the daily ascent into a torment for people with disabilities, the elderly, and pregnant women; and darkness in staircases and hallways increases the risk of falls and accidents.
The context surrounding this complaint is extremely serious. The Electric Company of Santiago de Cuba admitted in May that it cannot guarantee even two hours of daily service in some circuits, and it was recently reported that families in a locality in the province have been without electricity for 26 consecutive days.
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