This Monday, a donation of tents arrived in Baracoa to assist families impacted by Hurricane Oscar, which initially claimed seven lives, offering some relief to the dire situation the area's residents are facing. The state-run Radio Baracoa announced the arrival of this aid on Facebook, sharing images of the tents' tarps, support rods, and anchoring equipment.
The World Food Programme (WFP) in Cuba announced on social media platform X that within 48 hours of Hurricane Oscar's severe impact, they began providing aid with 200 tunnel-style tents as temporary shelters for those who lost their homes. The announcement also mentioned that two 42-square-meter tents were delivered to the Defense Council and the Government.
This contribution offers a modest respite from the ongoing challenges in several Guantánamo municipalities striving to recover from the hurricane's devastation and dealing with unrelated recent rainfall. Radio Baracoa further reported that the persistent rain is hindering recovery efforts.
"It's raining in Baracoa right now, and the water is threatening to delay the recovery work from the damage caused by Hurricane Oscar in this municipality," the report stated. Additionally, it highlighted that those most desperately awaiting the end of the rain are residents who, nine days after the hurricane, still lack electricity in their homes.
UNICEF, another international organization providing aid to the hurricane's victims, delivered 1,498 kilograms of medical supplies and equipment to bolster health services in the hardest-hit areas, especially in Guantánamo province. According to a report from the international body, this initial donation aims to enhance healthcare for approximately 140,000 individuals, including pregnant women, children, and adolescents in Cuba's easternmost province.
Thanks to support from the European Commission's Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), UNICEF secured "1,000 roofing sheets, 680 purlins, and 4,700 screws" aimed at rebuilding 74 schools in the eastern province, reported EFE.
Additionally, the Mexican Embassy in Cuba, alongside the Mexican company Richmeat, donated 100 tons of meat to the affected families. In a message shared on X, the Mexican Embassy in Cuba expressed that "the Cuban people are not alone" and pledged their unwavering support to Miguel Díaz-Canel's dictatorship.
Currently, international aid and local authorities' efforts are focused on the four most affected localities in Guantánamo by Hurricane Oscar: San Antonio del Sur, Imías, Baracoa, and Maisí. UNICEF estimates that the hurricane's impact has reached 149,693 people, with 32,600 (22%) being children, according to EFE.
Hurricane Oscar made landfall in Cuba on a Sunday near the coastal city of Baracoa in Guantánamo province as a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Before exiting Cuban territory on Monday, the storm weakened into a tropical storm, passing near Gibara in Holguín province in the northeast of the country.