A year after Hurricane Melissa devastated eastern Cuba, the Cuban Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) published a report this Thursday on their humanitarian operation, which includes the installation of 14 photovoltaic systems in medical offices and polyclinics in the eastern region of the country.
Melissa made landfall on October 29, 2025, as a category 3 hurricane in Santiago de Cuba and crossed through Granma and Holguín, affecting 2.2 million people, damaging over 215,000 homes, and leaving 642 health units in precarious conditions across five provinces.
The solar panels installed over the past year have enabled more than 4,100 people to receive essential medical care in health centers and hospitals, even during the blackouts that continue to affect Cuba, where the electricity generation deficit is around 1,900-2,000 MW per day, the involved organizations stated.
Dr. Carlos Pérez Díaz, Executive President of the Cuban Red Cross, explained the urgency of these energy solutions: "When the power goes out, a clinic cannot keep vaccines cold, a pump cannot supply water to a neighborhood, and our volunteers cannot reach the families that need it."
"Every solar panel and every liter of fuel we secure keeps a service running for people who are simultaneously facing the aftermath of the hurricane, outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya, and profound uncertainty."
Beyond solar energy, the organization provided medications to over 35,000 people in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health during the year since the disaster.
The water tanks installed in 11 communities supplied 3.3 million liters, an amount sufficient to meet the minimum needs of 30,000 people for a week, they emphasized.
The vector control campaigns —conducted in schools and communities— reached 7,494 people to curb the spread of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases, while 3,517 individuals in 54 communities received psychosocial support to cope with anxiety, grief, and sleep disorders.
Recovery remains slow and fragile. Prolonged power outages are putting pressure on critical services such as maternal, neonatal, intensive care, dialysis, and radiotherapy. Crop losses and transportation difficulties are exacerbating food insecurity, forcing many families to cook with coal and firewood, which poses additional health risks.
In the coming months, the IFRC and the Cuban Red Cross expect to install new photovoltaic systems in health centers in Guantánamo, Matanzas, and Ciego de Ávila, focusing on maternal hospitals, pediatric hospitals, maternity homes, and provincial hospitals. They are also planning distributions of 1,600 kits for roof repairs in Santiago, Granma, and Holguín, although both plans are contingent on the availability of energy and fuel.
A central obstacle to scaling up the response is the lack of funding. The emergency appeal from the IFRC, launched in October 2025 for 18 million Swiss francs, has only received 38.6% of the necessary funds as the first anniversary of the hurricane approaches, leaving a gap of approximately 11 million Swiss francs.
"The Cuban Red Cross has shown what local action can achieve when it is supported by a global network: volunteers who know every community, practical solutions like solar energy that keep essential services running, and partners worldwide who support them. It's a formula that works and can expand. With more resources, it could improve the living conditions of many more people who are still recovering from Melissa," stated Loyce Pace, regional director of the IFRC for the Americas.
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