Cuban President Checks Recovery of Ian Hard-hit Province

Pinar del Rio, Oct 7 (ACN) When I see the way the people fight adversities, I say that you have to give it all for these people, said Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel during his fourth visit to this western province, the hardest-hit territory by the recent passage of category-three hurricane Ian on western Cuba.

Diaz-Canel, President of the National Defense Council, exchanged views with neighbors of the San Juan y Martinez municipality, the cradle of the famous Habano cigars which was largely affected by the storm. He told them that this hard time must be faced with heroism by progressively solving the problems to get total recovery, step by step.
He visited a grocery store to learn about the availability of goods destined to reinforcing the family food basket. He also spoke with tobacco farmers who are trying to recover 27 tons of tobacco leaves, several of which were damaged by the hurricane.

Diaz-Canel also learned about the damage inflicted in homes and the actions to recover a local tobacco leaf collection and processing company. Over 160 homes were damaged in the territory by the storm, with 202 of them having collapsed.

The head of state also found out about the availability of tobacco seeds for the 2022-2023 planting season, which is expected to cover some 260 hectares of roofed tobacco plantations.

Accompanied by Economy Minister Alejandro Gil and the president of the provincial Defense Council Yamile Ramos, the President visited a community near La Coloma, the southern coastal territory where Ian made landfall on September 27. He said this visit was a pending debt with the locals and reiterated his call to support specialized working brigades to push all recovery activities in Pinar del Rio.

He listened to people’s concerns, he shared with them and explained that there is a large number of damaged homes, over 75 thousand in the whole province, whose repair will take place as the country counts on the necessary resources.