In Alamar, for several weeks now the sun is rising earlier and not exactly because sunrise comes sooner in the neighborhood, but because of the effort being made by hundreds of women and men.Workers from five of the country’s provinces and several national companies are working on the adaptation of the Julio Antonio Mella student residence, located in the Alamar Micro 10 zone, in the neighborhood of Alamar Este, to create homes for victims of the January 27 tornado.
More than 7,800 dwellings were affected by the tornado, with 730 homes completely leveled, and almost a thoudsand severely damaged. The most hard-hit Havana municipalities were Regla, Guanabacoa, and Diez de Octubre.
Alberto Olivera Fis, head of the Cubacons Construction and Erection Enterprise, affiliated with the Ministry of Construction, stated that their goal is to totally renovate the residence.
“In this case, we need to consider carefully the proximity of the building to the sea, which makes the saline environment very strong. This involves working on deepening structures and coating the steel well, as well as the plumbing, bathrooms, kitchens, and the divisions that are being made. Quality is most important," Olivera explained.The residence has three buildings with five floors each, for a total of 70 apartments. Thirty-five will have two bedrooms, plus 20 with one bedroom, and 15 with three."It’s coming along at a good pace; the main materials are guaranteed and the workforce as well," Olivera Fis said.The students in this residence were relocated to facilities located at 12th Street and Malecón, and F and 3rd Streets, in Vedado.
One of the areas hit hardest was the Castanedo temporary housing complex, In People’s Council Villa 2, District 16 of the municipality of Guanabacoa, where 62 families were living. They were moved to other temporary facilities, or are staying with relatives and friends, although these are the minority.
"These people will be given priority in the awarding of homes. They lost everything, "says Ania Lucía Lemus Prieto, president of the Municipal Assembly of the People's Power in Guanabacoa.In Castanedo, 31 homes will be rebuilt; in addition to a prefabricated building, using Forsa technology, with six two-bedroom apartments, and four with three. Additionally, conditions will be created to ensure that basic services are available, including a cafeteria and a park.
In terms of state institutions, in the municipality of San Miguel del Padrón, work is underway on carpentry, plumbing, and the sports area at Andrés Luján Vázquez Polytechnical High School.
The workforce here is composed of brigades from the Ministry and the Mayabeque Cubacons Enterprise. To avoid interrupting classes, some students are completing their practicum internships, while others were relocated to other schools.
In the municipality of Diez de Octubre, several institutions were hit by the tornado, including the Asunción teachers’ residence, where part of the roofing was blown off and bathrooms damaged. Likewise, repairs on the Pasteur Polyclinic emergency services area, and Alfredo Miguel Aguayo Elementary School are progressing.
With the help of construction workers from the Blas Roca Contingent and 11 of the city’s cooperatives, a former rest home for older adults in this municipality is being remodeled to provide 40 apartments, to be awarded to families who lost their homes to the tornado.
Havana’s Party First Secretary, Luis Antonio Torres Iríbar, during an evaluation of these projects, stated that the city is highly motivated, and working hard, with construction forces well organized, intent upon completing the greatest number of homes in the shortest time possible, replacing leveled homes and repairing those partially damaged, including dwellings of type 1 construction that were affected.
“Organization, enthusiasm, and the skill of our builders reign, and this gives us confidence, and especially those affected, he said.”
Torres concluded his remarks by thanking the Ministry of Construction that has been able to organize these forces, to rapidly and effectively advance in the recovery.
