SAN ANTONIO DEL SUR.-Let people come out of their lethargy and begin activity, life itself. It was one of the first expressions shared by the President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, in this municipality that, along with Imías, was hit hard by the meteorological phenomenon Oscar.

The exhortation was an idea expressed in the middle of the visit made this Wednesday by a large part of the country's leadership to San Antonio del Sur and other areas – other leaders who were already in the province joined him, along with local authorities, in the effort to deliver as soon as possible everything that is needed, and in terms of organizational support.

Before the expectant looks of the women and men of San Antonio del Sur, the president and the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, offered explanations, shared their reasoning about what has happened in the territory and what lies ahead. Next to them were the Vice Prime Minister, Inés María Chapman; the heads of Economy and Planning; of the Food Industry; of Agriculture; and of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources. Also represented were the Ministry of Public Health, and other organizations and entities concerned by the current state in Guantánamo.

A Necessary Explanation

Expert in matters related to hydraulic resources and multiple natural events regarding heavy rains, the Vice Prime Minister, Inés María Chapman, explained to this reporter why areas such as San Antonio del Sur and Imías suffered floods never seen before.

The hurricane -she said from San Antonio del Sur- stayed for more than 24 hours in the area between both municipalities. “We are located in a low place, surrounded by mountains,” recalled the leader, who asked not to overlook that the runoff from the mountains caused the volume of water to increase a lot. Regarding the rain that fell, she recalled this detail: “It was more than 500 millimeters in a short time; it was a very intense rain.”

-It had never happened before.

-Not that intense I believe. Years ago there was a flood, without reaching the town, from less than 300 millimeters that fell; but this has been 500, and almost 600 millimeters in some places.

-It’s a lot of water…

-A lot. So, what happened?: As it was practically at dawn, that volume of water increased, and the river also increased. Let’s remember that sea level rises at night, at dawn. That level rises and a plug is formed, and the river wants to get out and can’t. So what happens? It subsides and recedes, and spreads out over the lowest places.

The polyclinic, the faces, the reasons for encouragement

It's known as the little hospital of San Antonio, it’s very valuable for human life. It has a therapy room, ER staff, it offers important services. But the waters left by Oscar spared nothing, and on Wednesday morning the women and men who welcomed the country's leadership had on their faces the traces of tiredness, and also the serenity of those who know that it only makes sense to clean, tidy, and put everything back together.

In the little hospital everyone was focused on achieving the goal at hand - even those who had been most affected by the floods. The vaccines and medicines that needed refrigeration were already in safety when the storm hit and before the exchange between the President and the health workers. What was pending was to give vitality to the services.

“You have the full support of the province, of other territories,” said the president, who also reported that on Tuesday “important decisions were made in the National Defense Council; food and medicine will be arriving, there are construction crews to immediately restore the factory works and to ensure that road communication can be established in all towns; and there’s a huge movement of solidarity with Guantánamo.”

When the visitors headed to other damaged areas, the voice of a young man was heard who, like other colleagues, was immersed in the task of cleaning up. He told the president: “bring more tools, to go faster…”.

Words in San Antonio del Sur

Of an event that really “is out of the ordinary,” but from which – like many other times in history - “we will emerge,” President Díaz-Canel spoke to the residents of San Antonio del Sur. This is how Wednesday's day began, where on more than once the president spoke about the arrival of food, but also about the need - looking at everything in the long run - to produce food there.

Now the most important thing - reflected the Head of State - is to erase the traces of the disaster, "because while you still see the stones, the mud”, it will be difficult to change the moods and star pushing forward.

“We are alive and we will get ahead,” said a woman from the crowd. And then Díaz-Canel spoke of the unity, so necessary, and of discipline. He spoke of working to change, as soon as possible, the tense panorama left by Oscar.

Regarding the resources announced, all those who traveled this Wednesday along the road that leads to San Antonio del Sur could see the advance of trucks, linemen, things that are the spearhead and to which many others will join.

“What we want is for you to be certain that you are not alone or abandoned. Cuba is at your service,” assured the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba to the children of San Antonio del Sur.

Voice of a hero, and reflections in Maisí

Orlis Díaz told about his odyssey lived in San Antonio del Sur. By tying sheets together and using his physical training well, he was able to save eleven neighbors. He will never forget the fury of the swollen river. He already knows that everything in his house is drenching, but he spoke to reporters about something that is a merit for Cubans, because it has to do with hope and the possibility of moving forward: “We are alive.”

That municipality was not the only one on the itinerary of the country's leadership: there was exploration from the air - to verify the mixture between the waters of the river and the force of the sea. And there was also the arrival at the municipality of Maisí, where the people, especially women, told the leaders about their most pressing priorities: “Now the important thing is to focus on how we are going to recover,” said President Díaz-Canel there. He added that the hurricane certainly affected the municipalities of Baracoa, Maisí, and especially San Antonio del Sur and Imías.

The Head of State emphasized that, from the National Defense Council, a group of decisions were made regarding the sending of “food, water, medicines, a group of kitchen utensils, provisions; because here there’s a group of people who lost their belongings”, as has happened before.

He also referred to “the housing problem”; and returned to the fact that “we have the support of the entire country, and of the province, there are already many people in the country making donations”.

“What is the most important thing? Now the first thing is, between all of us and with the support brigades that we will have, to work out on everything that is immediate - fallen trees, electric lines, accounting the affected houses, guaranteeing communications…-”. He emphasized the forces that will continue to arrive.

Visit of the National Defense Council

The closing of a day of interactions, in which there was much objectivity from different sides, took place at the headquarters of the Provincial Party of Guantánamo, where the visit of the National Defense Council took place.

There, the leaders addressed all the issues of interest at this time. Regarding the food that will be arriving and the destination it should take, Díaz-Canel shared a concept: “The best warehouse is the home. Food…: directly to the local stores; and from there, straight to the homes.”

The Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, spoke of food and water as the resources the people need and demand the most. Beyond reporting in a quantitative way, he said, the important thing is to know who received the expected resource. Regarding water, he stressed: “We have to get water to all places, because the water is contaminated.”

At another point, the Head of Government reasoned: “We don’t want to store things, but rather for things to reach their final destinations.” He therefore insisted on the importance of control, of establishing priorities, and of being agile. “This carries a sense of urgency,” he said.

At the time of the meeting, in the afternoon, communication with the municipality of Imías had not been achieved. “Here we have to work quickly and in a timely fashion,” said President Díaz-Canel, who spoke about the need to reach the places, as soon as possible, with food and drinking water.

“We must set as a goal, between today and tomorrow, to reach all the places that have not been reached,” said the president, who also announced that the country's leadership will visit Guantánamo every week.

Timely information, recognition of the heroes who saved lives in the middle of stormy waters - those beings who uphold the values of Cubans, of Guantanamo residents. The Head of State also spoke about these issues, who towards the end of the meeting said: “I know that these are difficult times, but we will overcome them. In fact, we are already overcoming them. Guantánamo cannot feel abandoned; it has the full support of the country.”

The slogan “we are still in the fight” closed the afternoon, with the certainty that Cuba, with the path it has ahead, will rise again.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff