Three weeks ago, Hurricane Oscar hit the province of Guantánamo brutally; and swept away with unusual fury, tangling and flooding landscapes, the municipalities of San Antonio del Sur, Imías, Baracoa, and Maisí.

There was a lot of damage: In San Antonio del Sur the water rose like never before; Imías was completely cut off; Baracoa suffered the blow of the waters and the winds; and in Maisí - where on Thursday morning the President of the National Defense Council, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, began his work agenda - the most severe effects were on agriculture, the electric service, and on housing.

This is the second time that the president has visited Maisí after the passage of Hurricane Oscar. The first time his visit took place a few hours after the meteor had passed. On Thursday, the town of Quemado de Sabana, very humid due to the rain that has not stopped in the area, was the place where the Head of State arrived in the easternmost municipality of Cuba.

Immediately after the arrival of the president - who was accompanied by the member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, Roberto Morales Ojeda, as well as the authorities of the territory - there was an exchange between the Head of State and a group of residents. He asked them if they had already restored the electric service; if they had access to water; and if they had provided with food.

"Now we are going to work quickly on the issue of housing," said the President of the National Defense Council, who did not overlook the fact that there are accumulated problems with the housing stock in the territory, which date back to the passage of previous cyclones such as Matthews.

“When we all come together and start working together, things get done,” said Díaz-Canel in conversation with the residents of the community. He also told them that “the electric workers have worked hard.” This expression refers to the fact that the municipality - where communications and water service were restored - already has 99.7 percent of the electric service restored.

“A lot of work has been done here and that has to do with your participation,” said the Cuban President, who also explained that now the strategy is to work with the partial or total collapses of roofs, to move forward quickly in the recovery of damaged homes.

“The resources will come in, and we will recover,” said the Head of State, who emphasized the importance of monitoring these resources very well.

There in Sabana, the Office of Procedures for Victims was the first facility visited by the country's leadership on Thursday morning. The president received a detailed explanation, according to which the most critical cases have received priority attention, and the elderly, children, and sick people have been especially taken into account.

In the same office, a large board offers numbers that speak about the available resources and the support that is being given to those most in need. Social workers, professionals from institutions such as Housing, and from sectors such as Finance and Commerce, were present in a space filled with tables from which the population is served.

In Maisí, 995 houses were affected, 22 total collapses occurred, and 84 properties have been recovered to date.

The school, works of great impact, and a deserved praise

The next place visited in the municipality of Maisí was the “Mártires de Punta del Silencio” high school. Before arriving -under a torrential downpour- to the classroom where the students were receiving knowledge on the Physics subject, Díaz-Canel Bermúdez was welcomed outside the educational center by an artistic group from the province of Holguín. To them, who arrived in solidarity from their daily scenarios, the president told them that they are a kind of "spiritual hurricane."

Once in the classroom -over which new roofs were installed last August- the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party asked the students if they were doing well in the educational teaching process. There, where the rain did not stop, a student recited verses that Cubans know very well: they are from the poem "Se Acabó," by Nicolás Guillén, where the poet talks about how Martí drew, promised a dream of the Homeland, and Fidel made it come true.

The next step on the work agenda was to visit the Maya aqueduct, which was affected by the strength of Hurricane Oscar. There, President Díaz-Canel was able to confirm that the water intake that supplies four Popular Councils of Maisí had already been restored.

The Head of State indicated that the execution of a project to make it possible to bring water from the Yumurí area to the town of Sabana, on a journey of about 12 kilometers, would begin. The design of this task has already been done, and although some resources are needed for the total investment, some first steps could begin to be taken towards the completion of the work.

The La Lucecita community, located in the La Máquina Popular Council, was the next place where the Head of State was able to see first-hand the state of the houses built there and which suffered the onslaught of the hurricane. During this visit, the President spoke with the residents, who told about their daily worries and concerns.

The closing of the day in Maisí was a meeting between the country's leadership and members of the Provincial Defense Council, as well as with members of the Defense Council in the easternmost municipality of Cuba.

"You have worked hard and you have worked well," said the Cuban President to the territorial authorities, whom he also praised for their ability to have made very appropriate and timely decisions.

Díaz-Canel Bermúdez highlighted the atmosphere of recovery and work - which he described as admirable - and called for continuing to do things the way they have been done in recent days.

Upon leaving the meeting, in another meeting with the people, the dignitary highlighted the importance and strength that emanates from solidarity; and recalled that it must be shared in these hours, given that Cuba has been impacted by several natural phenomena.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff