“We Lost Our Homes But We’re Still Alive”

Many homes in Santiago de Cuba were totally destroyed by Hurricane Melissa. The solidarity between the people of Guamá remains strong in the aftermath of the disaster. Hurricane Melissa hit Cuba during a deep economic crisis, exacerbated by U.S. sanctions. 

TRANSCRIPT

“I had never seen a hurricane like this before. Never!” said a woman from Guamá, Santiago de Cuba, one of the towns most affected by Hurricane Melissa.

“This has done things that no hurricane has ever done in this country,” added a local man.

“My house is completely destroyed, with nothing left. I’m really depressed,” said another resident, his voice breaking.

“We are in Guamá, Santiago de Cuba, one of the places most affected by Hurricane Melissa,” reported Liz Oliva Fernández, journalist with Belly of the Beast.

“The combination of strong winds and coastal flooding destroyed many houses,” explained the reporter.

“In all my life, the sea had never reached that level,” recalled a man on his motorcycle.

“It wasn’t like this before,” said Nubia, a local resident. “It was all vegetation, all houses, lots of plants. Now there’s nothing.”

“Hurricane Sandy had passed through here, precisely and nearby, and it had not devastated me as it has now,” said another man wearing a checkered shirt. “Now it’s a great loss, and I feel emotionally distressed.”

“There was a house here, in all of this—it’s gone,” said another man, pointing at the ruins. “On the other side there was another house—it’s gone. And what happened to all the houses? The sea took them away. Nacho, my brother, what a disaster, my friend! But we’re alive, Compay, and that’s what matters.”

“Ignacio and his family were among the hundreds of families affected by Hurricane Melissa,” narrated Oliva.

“What happened here?” she asked.

“I can’t find the words,” said Ignacio softly. “I’m very stressed and in pain.”

“He and his family were evacuated to a neighboring house,” continued the journalist. “But in the middle of the night, the situation changed.”

“The sound of the wind was very loud,” recalled Dayanis. “The house seemed to be shaking. At a certain point, the water came into the house. We managed to climb up to the upper floor, because otherwise we would have drowned.”

“There was high sea penetration,” said Daikel. “The sea was able to rise up to the hill. It destroyed several homes that were near the sea. The back of my own home was destroyed.”

“Were you afraid?” asked Liz.

“Not so much for myself,” replied the young man, “but for my mother—she was very worried. And for my sister, who was crying. They both felt bad, and I felt bad for them.”

“I want to thank God, because I’m alive,” said Miyelaine, her eyes filled with tears. “Because I really didn’t think I would be alive. I admit that it was foolish of us to stay, because they came to get us. They sent buses to evacuate us to Santiago, and we didn’t leave because we thought we’d be safe in this house.”

“Cuba’s National Civil Defense focuses strongly on getting communities ready for emergencies,” narrated Oliva. “Before the storm hit, over 735,000 people were evacuated. The system has proven that it works by responding successfully to many disasters over the years—and Hurricane Melissa was no different.”

“We saw on the satellite that it was a very large depression,” explained Virgilia.

“And why do you think no one has died here?” asked the reporter.

“Because of the assistance that the state gave to the people,” replied Virgilia.

“Before the hurricane hit—not a day before, but a week before—the authorities came by to tell everyone to evacuate,” remembered Nubia. “There were buses and cars available day and night for anyone who wanted to leave. They went door to door to tell people that they’d be responsible for themselves if they stayed. Everyone who decided to stay did so because they chose to stay.”

“The important thing is that we are alive and helping each other,” she continued. “Look, they’re cooking right now, with charcoal.”

“This was the kitchen in the house where we evacuated,” said Miyelaine. “The entire kitchen is gone.”

“I’m cooking for the nine people who are evacuated here,” she added.

“Imagine that after what we went through, feeling that death was upon us,” she reflected, “I believe that right now, we share what little we have among all of us.”

“Now what remains is to recover,” said Dayanis. “The important thing is that we are healthy, and we can wait for better times to come.”

“We need to help each other,” added Nubia, “because the provincial government can help, but there isn’t much to give. We are going through a crisis.”

“To tell you the truth,” said Niuba, “I thought we weren’t going to make it—but we did.”

“Cubans are strong,” concluded Nubia. “Believe me—very strong. And we can endure a lot.”