Preserving Human Life Has Been the Priority

"In many places we arrived, they told us: 'Here we work so that no one would die.' There were people – including combatants from the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) and the Ministry of the Interior – who went out risking their own lives to save those of others."

This was highlighted by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, during his address in the session dedicated at the XI Plenum of the Central Committee to the report on the damages caused by Hurricane Melissa and the progress of recovery.

The president stated that the fact no human lives were lost was due to that dedication and to factors such as the lead time with which the emergency phases were declared and the work possibilities this implied; the effective manner in which the management systems functioned at all levels; the risk perception achieved; and the discipline of the people.

It is a lesson for the world, and a very strange way of being a "failed state" for one that manages to mobilize people in this way, he said; adding that now is the moment to focus on more complex elements of recovery, such as those pertaining to housing and infrastructure.

Regarding the lessons left by Melissa, he stressed the need to update disaster reduction plans, precisely because in this instance the previous updates proved very useful when making decisions.

He also insisted that several territories in the eastern part of the country need specially conceived development plans, addressing their social problems.

ON THE RECOVERY

Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, president of the Provincial Defense Council of Santiago de Cuba – speaking via videoconference – referred to the current situation of the territory 44 days after the event, which caused considerable damage in Guamá, Palma Soriano, Contramaestre and Santiago de Cuba, relating to housing, roads, electricity, communications, and various crops, among other areas.

Currently, she explained, the cleanup of the bulk of debris and waste must give way to the beautification of areas, and an improvement in the epidemiological situation is being experienced. Working groups, headed by the Party, are engaged in roof placement, thanks to the roofing tiles that have entered the territory; and lands are being sown and prepared.

Regarding the restoration of electrical service – a defining aspect in the province still being in the recovery phase – it is at 98.9%; influencing this number, as explained by the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, is the situation in the municipality of Tercer Frente, which as of Saturday morning was at 81%.

"We are working there with the support of personnel from other territories who have experience working in mountainous areas. Many kilometers are advanced, but we reach few customers, due to the characteristics of the place. We estimate about one more week of work remains," he reported.

With more than 93,000 homes affected, Santiago de Cuba carried out the largest evacuation for this type of phenomenon. Johnson thanked the support of the country's leadership, which has helped identify priorities and correct errors, as well as the solidarity of the people of the Island and friendly nations.

In the report presented to the Plenum by 1st Colonel Luis Ángel Macareño, second chief of the National Civil Defense Staff, it was explained that 2,760 people remain receiving assistance; and that 227 FAR personnel are still involved in Santiago's recovery.

Regarding housing, 116,100 affected homes are reported; and vital systems have been restored to more than 95%. Water supply reports a 96% restoration.

Regarding the electrical system, Granma is at 100%, Guantánamo at 99.95%, and Holguín at 99.9%; one hundred percent of basic and mobile telephone services have been restored in those provinces and in Las Tunas; in Santiago, basic telephone services are at over 94%.

It was emphasized that there has been a lack of timely maintenance to infrastructure works, which leads to structural deterioration and the consequent vulnerability to this type of impact.

Among the strengths highlighted were the six visits by the President of the National Defense Council to the affected zones; and how the decision to send national-level leaders to the provinces to support the direction of the defense councils' actions during the response and recovery contributed positively.