As time passes, more harrowing accounts emerge from families in Guantánamo who were caught off guard by severe flooding caused by heavy rains from Hurricane Oscar. A video circulating on social media highlights the distress and anger of a family, including a child, who found themselves chest-deep in water inside their home. They watched helplessly as the floodwaters engulfed neighboring houses and continued to rise in their own living space. The powerful imagery speaks volumes without needing a single word of explanation.
"Neither the party, nor the government, nor anyone has come here to warn us about anything," one family member can be heard exclaiming angrily, directing their frustration towards the local authorities. "If this keeps rising, we're going to drown, and nobody has come here," another family member added, while trying to keep the child safe by lifting them to higher ground.
"Everything’s been soaked: the TV, the fridge, the bed. The water keeps rising, and help isn't coming!" they lamented. Another video showed a similar scene with a home nearly submerged under floodwaters.
Widespread Appeals for Help
In recent hours, desperate calls for assistance have multiplied across Facebook groups, especially those in San Antonio del Sur and Imías. Families, both from abroad and other provinces, have urgently sought help to locate their loved ones. These areas were particularly hard hit as Guantánamo was cut off by the floods unleashed by Oscar, which struck the region with intensity before weakening to a tropical storm.
The Cuban authorities initially confirmed that six people, including a mother and her five-year-old daughter, lost their lives in San Antonio del Sur due to the torrential rains and destruction caused by the hurricane. A seventh casualty was later reported in the municipality of Imías, also devastated by the storm.
Government Response and Criticism
Miguel Díaz-Canel expressed condolences for the loss of life and stated that rescue operations and damage assessments are ongoing in the hardest-hit areas, many of which remain underwater. The simultaneous occurrence of Oscar’s passage through the eastern region and the collapse of the National Electrical System left hundreds of thousands of Cubans in the dark about the meteorological event. This alarming situation has raised concerns among civil society about the risks faced by residents in the affected region.