The importance of a portable radio

This is not the first time I have written about this subject, but the unprecedented situation the country is experiencing today confirms with new arguments the pivotal need to have a battery-powered portable radio.

Many people called me to ask for information because they knew that there was a portable radio at home and they had no way of knowing about the energy situation or about the damage caused by Hurricane Oscar.

Because when there is no power supply, no Internet, no charged cell phones, and people do not even know that there is a number to call on the fixed phone to listen to Radio Reloj, then the only alternative is the portable radio.

Cuba, annually threated by hurricanes, and with the instability in the power supply, having this device at home is certainly paramount.

But there are several reasons that put in jeopardy such possibility. On one hand, they have not been seen in the network of stores in MLC (Freely Convertible Currency) for a long time, where, unfortunately, it was the only way where they could be purchased; and, in addition, the fact that they are sold in that currency definitely conspires against their purchasing since most of Cubans allocate that money to more pressing needs.

However, it is proven that staying informed in situations like the ones we are experiencing, including hurricanes, is also a first-order need and can even lead to saving lives.

With the energy crisis that Cuba is currently at, our problems are not solved if, for example, the Cuban Television broadcasts special programming or if the Presidency of the Republic broadcasts systematic messages on social networks.

How great it would be if, in similar circumstances, there were something like El Minuto de la Presidencia on the radio, where Radio Reloj or other radio stations, or a joint broadcast, dedicated one minute each hour to reproducing these important messages.

It would also be useful if the radio replied the most important communications posted on social networks by reliable and important sources such as ministries, notable journalists, the Institute of Meteorology, Civil Defense and other broadcasters.

But so that all Cubans could have access to this information – and information is power – it would be necessary for at least each family unit to have a battery-powered radio, which could be sold through the rationing card, or just find other ways.

And these sales, at affordable prices; not to obtain a 500 % profit or anything like that, but to respond to a vital need. For the State, this would not be a superfluous investment, nor a great investment.

Many Cubans in the eastern region only found out hours before Hurricane Oscar was coming, because they had been without power supply for some time when the weather event headed in that direction.

Just as I was writing these lines, a journalist was asking on Cuban television, reporting in a special TV report about the damage caused by Oscar that: “if you are watching this broadcast, tell your neighbor, your close friend, what you learned here.”

If radios were at hand, and if radio broadcasts were fast enough, if possible in real time, this request would not be necessary.

The critical situation the country is facing is well known, but when it comes to informing in order to protect lives, no expense, no effort, is of secondary importance.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff