Cuban President Led Meeting on Post-Hurricane Recovery

 HAVANA, Cuba, Nov 4 (ACN) Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel headed the meeting this Monday at the Palace of the Revolution to review recovery tasks following the passage of Hurricane Melissa through the eastern region of Cuba, as reported by the Presidency's website.

Salvador Valdés Mesa, Vice President of the Republic, participated in the meeting along with Álvaro López Miera, Corps General and Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, and leaders of the entities responsible for recovery in the eas
Vicente de la O Levy, Minister of Energy and Mines, reported that by noon on Monday, the province of Las Tunas had restored 94.5 percent of electrical service; Holguín, 40.5%; Granma, 50.4%; and Guantánamo, 58.7%.

In Santiago de Cuba, he specified, several circuits were ready to be synchronized with the Felton thermoelectric plant, which would allow a significant leap in recovery.

Díaz-Canel asked about the repair of power poles, to which De la O Levy responded that progress is being made in that task, with more than 300 damaged transformers being restored between Las Tunas and Guantánamo, adding that the power generators have the necessary fuel and vital centers have assured power.

Joaquín Alonso Vázquez, Minister of Economy and Planning, explained that donations received from governments, international organizations, and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) will be delivered to the Provincial Defense Councils.

Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, detailed that the aid includes kitchen modules, tools, boots, hygiene products, food, and medicines.

Antonio Rodríguez Rodríguez, President of the National Institute of Water Resources, reported that seven pumping units were repaired and sent to the east.

He indicated that Las Tunas fully restored water service; Holguín reached 54.7%; Granma, 30%; Guantánamo, 81.2%; and Santiago de Cuba, 84.3%. In the latter territory, supply to Palma Soriano and Contramaestre is prioritized.

Tania Margarita Cruz Hernández, First Deputy Minister of Public Health, assured that medical care is maintained in evacuation centers, with surgical brigades ready to move to critical areas, and noted that sanitation work is being carried out to prevent diseases.

In communications, work is underway to repair fiber optics, provide satellite solutions for radio bases, and fix poles, with an initial damage assessment to guide actions in the affected territories.

The construction sector reported on the distribution of roof tiles, the use of aggregates, the restoration of bridges, and the provision of containers as a quick alternative for families with collapsed homes.

Naima Ariatne Trujillo Barreto, Minister of Education, reported that 1,552 educational centers were damaged and that about a hundred schools housed some 14,000 evacuees.

Civil Defense emphasized the importance of water purification and expediting the distribution of donations. According to the report, 120,000 people remain evacuated.

Through videoconference, local authorities reported that in Santiago de Cuba, the municipalities of Guamá and the town of El Cobre face greater difficulties; in Granma, Río Cauto is experiencing tensions; and in Holguín, Sagua de Tánamo, Cacocum, and Cueto require special attention in water supply.
In Guantánamo, where 19 settlements are isolated, sanitization work is intensifying.

Las Tunas, with some 300 damaged homes, hosted more than three thousand evacuated people from Granma, a gesture appreciated by the authorities of that province.

Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, Corps General, First Deputy Minister, and Chief of the General Staff of the FAR, emphasized that discipline was decisive in preserving lives and highlighted the unity of the FAR, the Ministry of the Interior, the Communist Party, and the Government.

Álvaro López Miera, Corps General and Minister of the FAR, noted that the experience provides lessons such as ensuring drinking water, properly securing roof tiles, protecting useful assets from humidity, and choosing safe places to build homes.
López Miera emphasized that these guidelines must be communicated directly to the population, amidst the challenges posed by the recovery.