Cuban President insists on support for westernmost province

Havana, Oct 13 (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel reiterated today the country's support to recover the western province of Pinar de Río, severely affected by Hurricane Ian.

In a dialogue with the residents of the municipality of Consolación del Sur, during his fifth visit to Pinar del Rio after Ian’s scourge, the Cuban head of state stated the damage there was great, and stressed the will to solve damages caused by the meteor in the shortest possible time.

More than 300 workers from various provinces collaborate in that town, where more than 20,000 homes were damaged, as well as crops, and the economic infrastructure and basic services. According to the Twitter account of the Presidency, electricity has been restored to 25 percent of customers in Consolacion and almost 50 percent in all the province.

Pinar del Río was the province hardest hit by the climatic event, on September 27, with sustained winds of more than 200 kilometers per hour and heavy rainfall.

Among the priorities defined by the highest authorities of the country in that area, the reestablishment of the electrical service, the water supply and the restitution of more than 99 thousand houses stand out.

According to data from the Electric Union, thanks to the work of rehabilitating the lines in the different municipalities of Pinar del Río, 43.49 percent of customers already have electricity, although some towns such as San Juan y Martínez and San Luis present greater complexities.

In the province, 6,151 people remain evacuated, and 96 and 89 percent of mobile and fixed telephony were restored, respectively, while 546 hectares of various crops were planted, including grains and vegetables.

Subsequently, the Cuban president spoke with the workers of the brigades that work to return electricity to the municipality of Viñales, the Presidency reported on its Twitter profile.