From our Seven Plagues of Castrogonia Bureau with some assistance from our Bureau of Disasters That Cannot Be Blamed On a Fake “Blockade”
No doubt about it, Castro, Inc is UNDER-reporting the real extent of the damage caused by hurricane Rafael. If they admit to 461 collapsed buildings, it must really be around 1,200, at the very least. As of Thursday night, most of the island remained without power.
Damages are extensive and Castro, Inc. has no way to provide any sort of recovery, or — more gravely — the will to provide it. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Truth spews out all sorts of ginormous lies. Vamos bien. Requetebien. Lord have mercy.
Loosely translated from CubaNet
The Cuban regime admitted this Thursday that so far, around 461 total and partial building collapses have been reported in Havana, along with thousands of people evacuated due to Hurricane Rafael’s passage through western Cuba.
Yanet Hernández Pérez, the governor of the Cuban capital, informed the press that approximately 461 collapses have occurred in the province, along with 495 fallen utility poles and over 100 transformers affected, as well as damage to gas infrastructure.
She also mentioned that recovery efforts include debris collection and the resumption of operations at José Martí International Airport, along with other air terminals, including Varadero in Matanzas province.
The most visible damages involve fallen trees and large amounts of debris from total and partial collapses affecting electrical and communication infrastructure.
“Havana has been heavily impacted. Today, we are accounting for more than 461 total and partial collapses (due to light roofs, fallen walls, and stairways). It is worth noting that the damage would have been greater if we hadn’t timely protected a group of people living in areas expected to be heavily impacted,” the Havana official said.
Meanwhile, Colonel Luis Ángel Macareño, deputy chief of the Civil Defense General Staff, reported that approximately 218,300 people were evacuated nationwide, with no fatalities reported.
Regime representatives also mentioned they are working to restore electricity service, though they acknowledged it is “a difficult task, particularly due to downed power lines.”
Hurricane Rafael, a category three storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale, strongly impacted western Cuba, causing serious damage to housing, infrastructure, and agriculture, according to the Cuban government’s initial damage assessment.
The Cuban Meteorological Institute (INSMET) recorded sustained winds of up to 185 kilometers [115 miles} per hour and heavy rains reaching 200 millimeters [8 inches]. The towns of Alquízar and Güira de Melena in Artemisa were particularly affected, with flooding that left entire neighborhoods underwater and significant destruction to homes and crops, according to local media reports.
Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel shared on social media after a meeting of the National Defense Council: “Significant damage in Artemisa, Mayabeque, and Havana.” He also announced that starting Thursday, he would visit “the areas most impacted by the hurricane” and stated, “A new recovery process is now beginning.”
Meanwhile, the regime’s Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero, stated on television that the damage was “very severe to housing, infrastructure, and agriculture.” He also mentioned the nationwide blackout — allegedly caused by the hurricane — the second one in less than two weeks.
The victims are screwed. The regime is not geared to deal with this except in a fake, pro forma way.
Asombra: “The victims are screwed. The regime is not geared to deal with this except in a fake, pro forma way.”
True, the victims are screwed and let me note, that they are more screwed now than ever, because there is an epidemic of uncollected garbage in Havana that is currently worse than ever before. Can you imagine all of that garbage floating in the waters that is no doubt flooding so many streets?
Let me note, however, this will be a win for the regime, because they will AGAIN use the suffering of the victims to blame the embargo and of course the US press will enable the regime by blaming the embargo too.
Finally, in any normal country with as many hurricanes as Cuba, the government would have prepared the country for hurricanes years ago by restoring buildings, shoring up the Malecon Wall, creating natural barriers, fixing the electric grid,, building up an efficient Fire Department and first aid service, etc… The regime is so inept that they are unable to plan for anything. It’s mindboggling. Its as if the Keystone Cops, the Three Stooges, and Bozo the Clown [with a dose of sadism and malice sprinkled on] combined are running Cuba!
It’s not so much unable as having another overriding priority, which is staying in power, even if that means power over a pile of trash and rubble and a bunch of starving beggars.
True, that’s it. They don’t care about anything but staying in power which is why when you look at the militarized Cuban police, they have the latest cars and equipment.