President Miguel Díaz-Canel visited Santiago de Cuba to assess the situation two weeks after Hurricane Melissa struck, amid prolonged blackouts and controversies over aid distribution. Nearly 60% of the province remains without electricity, with ongoing issues in drinking water and evacuees. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero defended the sale of some supplies to cover logistical costs.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel traveled to Santiago de Cuba to see firsthand the situation two weeks after Hurricane Melissa passed through. A National Defense Council meeting was held there and broadcast on the television program Mesa Redonda, though few residents could watch due to power outages: nearly 60% of the province remains without electricity, and those with service face scheduled blackouts.
“Many communities remain without electricity and without drinking water service. Hundreds of evacuees remain, and the greatest amount of work still lies ahead in all the areas that were flooded,” said the president. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero addressed criticisms over the sale of supplies, including water. Donated products are “completely free,” he said, “while others must be paid for, which sometimes causes confusion among the population.”
Marrero explained that “the community group is the one that decides” whom to give items to, since they know “the situation of each family.” This comes amid social media questions about donated and subsidized aid. In Granma, water is sold at 40 pesos per bottle per household in the 10 Zone Defense Councils, from the state disaster reserve to cover logistical costs with a symbolic price.
The sale of mattresses has also sparked debate: “cameros” (queen size) are free foreign donations, while “individual” mattresses, purchased by the State for emergencies, cost 911 pesos but are subsidized by 50% for those with “economic solvency.” The State funds 100% for vulnerable people. More than 8,300 mattresses were lost or damaged, boosting production in Jíbaro and relying on donations.
Díaz-Canel acknowledged the situation in the affected area is “extremely difficult,” with more than 149,000 homes and 158,000 hectares of crops affected. Electricity restoration stands at 98% in Guantánamo, 86.2% in Granma, and 44% in Santiago de Cuba. Municipalities like Palma Soriano, Songo La Maya, San Luis, and Santiago face epidemics, mainly dengue and chikungunya, with reinforced fumigation protocols. Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, president of the Provincial Defense Council of Santiago de Cuba, said 43% of the provincial capital has been cleaned—an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes—and expects 100% by the 28th. She acknowledged that 6,900 households have lacked housing solutions since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, now joined by more than 2,300 total collapses and more than 19,000 partial or total roof damages. More than half of the 1,244 schools are affected.
In Granma, Yanetsy Terry Gutierrez highlighted progress but noted more than 8,000 homes damaged, along with 52,000 affected hectares. Holguín is somewhat better, though it has more than 900 total collapses and half of its educational institutions damaged, focusing on psychological damage. There were more than 4,700 product seizures from people imposing abusive prices.