Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Havana, December 16. – Cuba’s Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero, urged to accelerate recovery efforts following the passage of Hurricane Melissa through the eastern region of the country, local media highlighted today.
During a meeting to review the progress of recovery, headed by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, Marrero emphasized the need to prioritize the restoration of damaged housing in this process.
Likewise, the head of government demanded maintaining "exhaustive control" over the materials delivered for these tasks, according to reports published in Granma and Juventud Rebelde.
Several ministers participated in the review, and the governors of Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Granma, Las Tunas, and Holguín—provinces affected by the meteorological phenomenon—appeared and explained the situations in their respective territories.
In addition to the construction and repair of housing, efforts in the localities damaged by Melissa’s impact are aimed at increasing food production and restoring basic services, according to press reports.
Both newspapers highlighted the intervention of the Minister of Health, José Angel Portal, who explained that of the 710 institutions affected in the five provinces, 185 have already been recovered, 27 of them in the last week.
Currently, actions are being carried out in 29; the main damages are concentrated in carpentry, false ceilings, and leaks, assured Portal, as cited by the sources.
He also stated that "active screening of the population in those provinces has been increased, with special emphasis on risk groups," and "anti-vector actions are being intensified" to prevent an epidemiological crisis in the region.
During the meeting, held yesterday afternoon, follow-up was given to the situation in areas of Villa Clara affected by intense rains last weekend.
The governor of that central Cuban province, Milaxy Yanet Sánchez, reported that "in very few hours, more than 253 millimeters of rain accumulated, causing severe flooding in communities of the Sagua la Grande and Cifuentes municipalities."
She explained that 753 people were evacuated, the vast majority to the homes of relatives, neighbors, or friends, and reported damage to road infrastructure, among other issues. (Text and photo: PL)
