Fifteen days after the passage of Hurricane Ian through western Cuba, authorities, technicians, neighbors, and entire communities are continuing to work tirelessly to reestablish the services most demanded by the population, and much remains to be done. This territory is today the epicenter of the recovery efforts amid the devastation and pain.
The restoration of electricity service and water supply, and the recovery of the damages to the housing fund are still the most complex problems to be solved in the province, which was crossed from one side to the other by the eye of the hurricane on September 27th and experienced the fury of its winds like no other territory for over 7 hours.
So far, electricity service has been restored to 43.49% of the customers, according to official figures. “All the municipal capitals have electricity coverage,” Provincial Defense Council president, Yamilé Ramos Cordero commented this Thursday, during the daily meeting held by the main local authorities and the country’s top leadership.
“We are focusing our efforts on supplying electric power to the water supply sources as quickly as possible, which will allow greater stability of that service. Along with these actions, we are also working on the recovery of power lines in the different municipalities,” Ramos added.
“In particular, for the water supply, some lines have presented problems in their operation due to the instability of the generators, which has made the situation more complex throughout the province, including the municipal capitals,” she said.
Other problems afflict the communities, such as damage to houses, which already amount to 99,158 in Pinar del Río. Over 11,000 of the damaged houses are totally destroyed and 49,091 are partially collapsed. As of Wednesday, 1,599 homes had been restored thanks to the construction materials that began to be sold to the affected families and through other means.
However, the availability of resources is still minimal, because many materials that are in high demand are not produced in the province and have not been able to be transferred there, especially those associated with the roofs, which are in the most need.
According to the Minister of Construction, René Mesa Villafaña, there are already many coordinated efforts to increase the availability of resources in the territory, so that families can rebuild or repair their houses.
The damage left by Ian hurts. For ages our island has a history of suffering from the impact strong hurricanes that are capable of devastating everything in its path. We prepare ourselves in the best possible way for the health and safety of our communities but we are never prepared to alleviate the pain in the face of the loss of lives and property. Fortunately in Cuba the people are never alone when disaster strikes.
At this time 6,151 people who lost everything remain in 19 evacuation centers, where they are being offered the essentials to live until they can recover their homes. The leaders of the country have been traveling constantly to the westernmost province of the country to support and dialogue with those affected, and they have been seen lifting debris, helping Pinar del Rio to recover its splendor.
“We are with the people, very close to the places where the situation is more complex. The sacrifices are enormous, especially in this difficult year. But as it always happens, together we will get through this,” President Miguel Díaz-Canel emphasized.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – US
