Neither Cayo Granma Nor Santiago de Cuba Are Alone

Three nautical miles inland in the bay of Santiago lies Cayo Granma, a fishing village of just over 800 inhabitants with a strong sense of belonging to this "speck of land in the sea," which is barely two square kilometers in size. This Thursday, the President of the National Defense Council, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, arrived there, accompanied by deputy prime ministers, ministers, deputy ministers, and directors of sectors that are currently guiding the recovery route in the province of Santiago de Cuba. This is where Hurricane Melissa entered the archipelago and where the most damage was inflicted.

With strong ties to the nation's history, culture, and identity, this islet is a symbol of the city of Santiago. However, Melissa's winds wreaked havoc on its homes, which are close to the sea and many of which are built of wood and tiles.

As in Cayo Granma, other communities along the Santiago coast—La Socapa, Caracoles, Júcaro, Ciudad Mar, Punta Gorda, Barrio Técnico, and Aguadores—also suffered the onslaught of Hurricane Melissa. Residents told the Head of State, as he visited the pharmacy, the school, and the bakery—all damaged—and walked its narrow streets, that for some, the hurricane was as destructive as or even more destructive than Cyclone Sandy thirteen years ago.

Local authorities confirmed that the entire population was evacuated; only a few neighbors remained to look after the place. There were no loss of human lives, nor even any injuries, a fact that fills the locals with pride and which they recounted to the leader, who was visiting the small islet for the first time, thus also marking the first time a President had been there, according to the children of Cayo Granma.

The Juan Gualberto Gómez elementary school, the only one in the territory, lost its entire roof to the fury of the winds. However, less than a month after that early morning of October 29th that changed everything, it has already reopened its classrooms to its 61 students, with a new roof. The Cuban President also went up there, via a steep, narrow street with long steps.

He spoke with the schoolchildren, the teachers, and the dedicated staff of the school. He learned that no school materials were lost during the rains and winds, and that the school has a full teaching staff. He also inquired about the schedules, the subjects, the children's lunches and snacks, computer education, and sports practice. He proposed installing a basketball court in the schoolyard, but the children in unison asked for one for soccer. Amid laughter, he gave instructions on the spot to fulfill this dream.

He told the children that "it was a delight to be here," spoke of the hopeful, victorious atmosphere, and of the gratitude he had felt among the residents of the key for the urgent recovery response. He wished them success in their studies and promised to return to check on the progress of the recovery.

In Cayo Granma, the damage assessment is already complete: of its 256 homes, 170 were affected; there are 15 total collapses and 20 partial ones; 31 roofs were counted as completely lost and 84 partially lost. Furthermore, 170 mattresses were damaged; 150 have already been delivered. They have also received about a thousand tiles, food modules from both the Cuban state and the World Food Programme, and from countries like Venezuela, alongside donations from MSMEs, state institutions, and the Cuban people.

In a dialogue with the people right on the street, the President assured them that resources would continue to arrive to rebuild Cayo Granma. "Together we will recover, we are not afraid!" he told them. From the crowd, someone shouted, "You have to come back!" and he thanked them for the welcome. You deserve it, they replied.

Later, in a meeting of the Provincial Defense Council, as these tours of the last five weeks through the eastern provinces always conclude, the Head of State checked the progress of the recovery almost a month after the impact. He considered that the remaining days of this week and the next will be decisive for bringing Santiago up to the level of the neighboring provinces.

He instructed that all the country's forces be directed towards Santiago for the final push on tasks such as power recovery (currently at 84%); damage certification (from a preliminary report of 141,000 homes, 48,768 have been validated); sanitation; and others that mark the path back to normality in the cradle of the Revolution, which deserves and has the support of all of Cuba.