The devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Oscar in Guantánamo has produced harrowing accounts of the fear experienced by residents as floodwaters overwhelmed the municipality of San Antonio del Sur. Among those sharing their stories is Yarisleidis Estevez Durán, known locally as "Violeta," who recounted her escape from the community of Macambo in the chaos of the storm and the lack of information available to residents.
“We are accustomed to river floods, but not to this,” Estevez Durán expressed in a statement shared on Facebook by Dianelbis Delfino Martínez, the principal of Abel Santamaría Cuadrado Primary School in nearby Yateras. “Still shaken by the fear of losing her parents, she admits she has not been able to enter her home, located in Macambo, because it is buried in mud from a landslide. Grateful to be alive, she constantly repeats,” added the school official in her post.
The intense rainfall, totaling nearly 500 millimeters in a few short hours, caused numerous landslides that buried homes like that of Estevez Durán's family. The hurricane lingered for over 24 hours between Imías and San Antonio del Sur, exacerbating flooding due to the area's low elevation and surrounding mountains, explained Cuba’s Deputy Prime Minister Inés María Chapman Waugh. “This was an unprecedented rain event,” she noted, referencing a previous flood that did not reach such levels.
Accounts of Survival Amidst Nature's Fury
Adding to Violeta’s story, Alellanis Díaz Navarro, an employee at the Caribe store chain, described her own narrow escape from the floodwaters of Hurricane Oscar. "I was sleeping when I felt water dripping on me, and realized it was seeping through the door. Soon, it was up to my shoulders," shared the store chain on Facebook.
Trapped by an obstructing wardrobe, Díaz Navarro managed to find an escape route through a small gap in her bedroom door. "Her first thought was to gather her family, and together, they sought refuge on a neighbor's roof. Despite the hardship and sadness, she remains hopeful about the future," stated the store chain, which is part of GAESA, a military-controlled enterprise of the Cuban regime.
Government Propaganda and Power Outages Add to the Chaos
As the hurricane approached, a widespread power outage plunged much of Cuba into darkness, complicating evacuation efforts and leaving many without access to crucial weather updates. The blackout hindered communication and made it difficult for families to stay informed or reach out to loved ones.
Residents criticized the government's lack of preparedness, highlighting how the power loss crippled the Civil Defense's alert systems. Despite efforts to evacuate over 15,000 people from areas like San Antonio del Sur and Imías, many were caught off guard by the sudden rise of the river, unable to seek higher ground in time.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel emphasized the focus on Guantánamo's recovery, but the scale of the destruction, combined with economic and logistical constraints, presents a daunting challenge for the region.