Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Havana, November 5 - Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic, toured communities in Granma province this Tuesday to assess the recovery efforts following Hurricane Melissa, which caused severe flooding in the eastern region, according to the Presidency's website.
The president, in his capacity as President of the National Defense Council, visited the municipalities of Cauto Cristo and Río Cauto, where the Hurricane Alert phase remained in effect, and spoke with residents about the main damages.
"We all have to contribute to the effort being made, knowing that everything cannot be resolved at once, due to existing limitations and because some damage will take time to recover... We have to work and defend Cuba together," Díaz-Canel emphasized.
During the tour, Díaz-Canel acknowledged the work of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior in the rescue and salvage operations for inhabitants trapped by the flooding of the Cauto River and its tributaries.
The Head of State was accompanied by Roberto Morales Ojeda, member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee, as well as ministers, deputy ministers, and provincial authorities, including Yudelkis Ortiz Barceló, First Secretary of the Party in Granma, and Yanetsy Terry Gutiérrez, Governor.
In the community of El Recreo, on the border of Granma and Holguín, he confirmed that more than 230 people remained evacuated due to the flooding of the Salado River, while the homes and the school in the settlement remained underwater.
Residents reported losses in crops of peppers, tomatoes, squash, sweet potatoes, and corn, and the President called for extreme vigilance on the quality of water and food during the return to their homes.
In the San Marcos settlement, in the municipality of Cauto Cristo, the Carlos Bastidas Azcuy cooperative reported the loss of more than 70 percent of its plantain crop, in addition to damage to sweet potatoes and cassava. Díaz-Canel indicated that solutions would be sought to restore access to the productive areas affected by the flooding.
Later, at the Cauto del Paso dam, the largest hydraulic infrastructure in the province, it was reported that the reservoir released more than one billion cubic meters of water, triple its capacity, which prevented further flooding and protected human lives.
In the Camilo Cienfuegos community, in the town of Cauto Embarcadero, the President spoke with residents about the need to update disaster response plans, given the magnitude of the hurricane.
Yudelkis Ortiz Barceló, First Secretary of the Party in Granma, specified that the most significant damages were concentrated in housing, agriculture, the electrical grid, telecommunications, and the hydraulic system.
Preliminary data indicates that more than 8,400 homes were damaged, 50 landslides impacted 29 communities, and agricultural losses were reported on more than 7,500 hectares of various crops, in addition to the death of 16,200 head of cattle.
The President of the National Defense Council emphasized that the recovery will demand the active participation of the population alongside specialized brigades and called for strengthening community solidarity and care for the most vulnerable people. (Text and photo: ACN)
