Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
El Cobre, Santiago de Cuba, November 1st - The 18,699 inhabitants of El Cobre, a town that symbolizes the Cuban spirit, endured twelve terrible hours.
Right at seven o'clock on Tuesday the 28th, the Marteña and La Palmita rivers overflowed their banks, and immediately afterward the Senserenico did the same, which in a few minutes flooded some of the streets, raising the water to the height of the fences, and sweeping away everything in its path. "My house was in its path, or rather, the temporary shelter where I've been living since Sandy, but we're alive, and while there's life, there's hope," said José Cisneros Godines, with tears in his eyes and his feet still wet from the turbulent waters of the Senserenico.
FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE ENDURE
Francisco Herrera Ulloa, president of the Defense Zone (zd), clarified that there were two floods, not one, that reached as far as Aurelio Fernández Street. The winds roared and swept from the Río Frío area to the outskirts of Santiago de Cuba, encompassing the entire area of ??our local council. We had previously warned our residents about the danger, and they were sheltered in the homes of relatives and neighbors, as well as at the Rubén Bravo Álvarez Boarding and Primary School, where 62 people remain.
The Defense Zone's Command Post, located in a place that for decades seemed safe, was also destroyed by the floods, and we were able to relocate it to the Young Computer and Electronics Club. Imagine that of the 9,450 homes in the district, preliminary estimates indicate that nearly 8,000 have suffered some type of damage, mainly to their roofs, with quite a few total collapses, stated Milaida Mesa Villavicencio, delegate of district 229, while preparing food for those sheltering at the Rubén Bravo shelter.
The Defense Zone's Command Post, located in a place that for decades seemed safe, was also destroyed by the floods, and we were able to relocate it to the Youth Computer and Electronics Club. Imagine that of the 9,450 homes in the Council, a preliminary estimate indicates that nearly 8,000 have suffered some type of damage, mainly to the roofs, with quite a few total collapses, stated Milaida Mesa Villavicencio, delegate of constituency 229, while preparing food for the people who remain protected in the Rubén Bravo.
"So most of us in Cobre are victims, but we're all saddened to see how our picturesque town, a place so many Cubans and foreigners visit, has been left," added Tania Gola Quiala, born and raised here, who also did not deny the luck of all being alive and well, as we say in eastern Cuba.
Where the powerful forces of Melissa abounded, overabounded faith, love and solidarity, so patent Mainet Millet Rivera, who has been welcomed in the house of Faustino Melgares Frómeta, along with other family members and neighbors. "We are sharing everything, from food to other essential items," the host emphasized. Ramón Quintero Benet's house was left in ruins; not even the foundations remain. "My wife, who is the mother of four children, is staying with a neighbor. The one who shouldn't be allowed to collapse is me!" the burly man stressed.
Unity also prevails, the work is coordinated among all factors, and the Baptist and Catholic churches have been protagonists in all phases, making resources, facilities and support fully available, commented the President of the ZD.
The Minor Basilica National Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre suffered damage, given its position on the top of a hill, but that does not mean that the work diminishes, but rather that it multiplies together with the local authorities and Caritas - the social service structure of the Catholic Church - and we have established eight soup kitchens that are added to our usual dining room for 20 elderly people, said Father Rogelio Dean Puerta, rector of the Shrine and parish priest of the town.
He added that the Shrine will reopen its doors this Saturday because the theological virtues—faith, hope, and love—must never be lacking. (Text and photo: Granma Digital)
