The criminal negligence of the Castro dictatorship, which has done little to maintain or repair homes for 60 years while it builds luxury hotels for foreign tourists, continues to take its toll on the Cuban people. After heavy rains in Santiago de Cuba, several buildings have collapsed, putting families in danger and leaving them homeless. This is socialism in action.
Intense rains cause building collapses in Santiago de Cuba
The intense rains affecting eastern Cuba have caused several building collapses in Santiago de Cuba.
In the Facebook group ‘Compra y Venta en Santiago de Cuba’ (Buying and Selling in Santiago de Cuba), Odi Kindelan Palma said she didn’t know how to explain the pain she felt when her house, where she lived with three children, collapsed.
“I don’t even know how to approach this situation because I’m left speechless. This happened during the night due to the rains, as you can see in the photos. Three children were in the house, and three adults were trapped inside,” Odi recounted.
The affected individuals survived, but they have not received any kind of medical assistance. The house is located at Pasaje de Argilagos #184 between Ríos Rivera and Prolongación de Corana, in an area known as Reparto Veguita de Galo.
In her post, she details that the housing problems were not recent. The collapse could have been avoided, but for years the government did not take action despite the complaints.
“This is due to a previous hurricane that affected us, and we are still waiting for answers from the government that have yet to arrive. My 10-year-old daughter is ill, they are conducting studies due to cystic fibrosis, she has cytomegalovirus, she is immunocompromised, and due to episodes of shortness of breath, she suffered a pericardial effusion. My 11-year-old nephew has an intellectual disability,” she shared.
Odi asked for help on social media because “early in the morning they said they were coming from the municipal government and a brigade to open another entrance to retrieve belongings, and it’s been hours and no one has arrived. The children are restless, hungry, sleepy, and scared.”
The children were able to eat thanks to the help of the neighbors, who have shown solidarity with this family’s case. The government has not visited the affected area nor offered an alternative for shelter from the rains.
The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights reported two other house collapses on Thursday night in Santiago de Cuba, fortunately without any fatalities.
“The danger of a possible collapse had been reported to the government,” the NGO pointed out.
The Cuban Meteorological Institute (Insmet) reported numerous showers and rains in the eastern region of the country on Thursday. They warned that the precipitation would be strong and intense in various areas of Holguín, Santiago de Cuba, and Granma.
The highest accumulation was 8.8 inches in Guaro, Holguín, although it caused major flooding in the provincial capital. There were also 4.5 inches in Gran Piedra and 4 inches in Contramaestre, both in Santiago de Cuba, and 3.6 inches in Jucarito, Granma.
The rains are associated with the passage through the Caribbean Sea of a low-pressure area. This system will remain with an extended trough at low levels near the center and east of the country. More rain is expected, and some communities could be particularly sensitive to this phenomenon.
