The National Defense Council, in an extraordinary session headed by its President, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, approved actions to continue attending to the electrical emergency in the country, and the recovery of damages caused by Hurricane Oscar in the province of Guantánamo.
First Colonel Luis Angel Macareño, second chief of the Civil Defense Organ, reported that in the municipalities of San Antonio del Sur and Imías, rescue and salvage work was still being carried out in flooded areas. The provinces of Granma, Las Tunas, Holguín and Santiago de Cuba were not significantly affected, he said.
The head of the Economic and Social Organ, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, considered it very important to identify the food needs to be distributed in the most affected areas, and in general, in the Guantanamo territory. In this regard, the Minister of Agriculture, Ydael Pérez Brito, explained that work is being carried out in four main directions: to supply food to those affected, to the people who carry out support work, to complete the standard family basket, with emphasis on the population of Imías and San Antonio del Sur, and to add other products for consumption.
The President of the National Defense Council indicated to design a strategy for the recovery of short cycle crops, to mobilize forces for the harvesting of coffee, whose ripening was accelerated by the intense rains, and to prioritize the reinforcement of the standard family food basket for October and November.
A historic rainfall record was set in San Antonio del Sur. Antonio Rodríguez, President of the National Water Resources Institute and head of the Water Task Force, revealed that between 650 and 550 millimeters of rain fell in this municipality.
In order to maintain the vitality of the water supply to the population of the area, resources and specialized personnel will be transferred, he said.
Equipment, goods for the population, materials for the construction of houses, fuel, products of the standard family basket and support groups of the electric sector and others that will work in the recovery are also assured.
A strategy was also designed to ensure the collection of debris caused by the impact of Hurricane Oscar, and to undertake the repair of roads. This was one of the major damages, which is why Imías and San Antonio del Sur remained cut off.
By telephone, one of the Party officials in the easternmost province corroborated that in Imías access was very difficult, and that alternative routes were being sought. Unfortunately, she confirmed the death of another person in that territory, and now the loss of human lives as a consequence of the sudden increase of the water level is seven.
According to preliminary figures, the agricultural sector has been seriously affected, with 750 hectares of bananas damaged, 1,117 tons of beans, as well as 32,800 cans of coffee.
The President of the National Defense Council inquired about damages to the communications network and the electrical system in the two municipalities most affected by the meteorological system.
Although the damage is still being evaluated, it was reported that the fiber optics linking Imías and San Antonio del Sur were affected, and 49 poles fell between Baracoa and Maisí.
Regarding the six year old child who suffered a cranial trauma due to the fall of a tree in his home, it was confirmed that he was transferred to a pediatric hospital in Santiago de Cuba, and is out of danger.
TOWARDS ENERGY RECOVERY
At the meeting it was reported that, up to that moment, the electricity service coverage in the country exceeded 70%, including those connected to the SEN and the microsystems.
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, considered that hard work has been done to consolidate what has been achieved. He mentioned that Santiago de Cuba is currently the province with the lowest service, and it is a priority, together with others in the central region. He said that another priority is to synchronize the Renté Thermoelectric Power Plant, to later increase power in the rest of the units.
For his part, the head of the Ideological Political Group, Roberto Morales Ojeda, referred to increase communication, using all possible means, among them face to face, and to counteract the narrative of the enemies who want to distort the efforts of the Government and its people to move forward.
RECOVERY: KEY TASK
"The main task is recovery", ratified Manuel Marrero Cruz, which implies taking into account every detail and identifying needs. In the country there is experience in facing this type of phenomena, he added, and we also need to produce food and harvest as much as possible.
He insisted that progress is being made in the recovery of the SEN; however, there will still be a deficit due to generation capacities. He underlined the confidence that we will move forward, and acknowledged the electric sector, its workers and its cadres for the work carried out, and the people, for their confidence in the country's leadership.
