Cuba thanks international solidarity for recovery after Hurricane Rafael

Photo: Cuban Government.

November 9, 2024 Hour: 7:24 pm

The President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, thanked this Saturday the international solidarity towards his country, hit two days ago by the passage of Hurricane Rafael.

In exclusive statements to teleSUR, Díaz-Canel, valued that the help of friendly countries and United Nations bodies, together with the empathy among the Cuban population, have made it possible for the country to be in a phase of recovery and healing.

“There was solidarity among Cubans. The Cuban people have been supportive. Just as people expressed solidarity with Guantánamo (…) And help has arrived from Venezuela. Today we received an audience with the ambassador of Qatar. There are several governments that have asked their ambassadors to provide needs to support and all those things are arriving,” said President Díaz-Canel.

“Also in the United Nations system, with the WFP (World Food Program) and other organizations of the system here in Cuba, they have also made resources available and are raising other resources,” he added.

The Cuban head of state also referred to the recovery of the national electrical system, which he noted has been recovering progressively and in some areas, such as Artemisa, it will take at least 20 days to restore.

Diaz-Canel also mentioned the need for, in addition to the recovery of the electrical system, to move forward in restoring the supply water at the national level.

“I believe, for example, in the affected area that was Artemisa, we have more than a dozen days left. It does not mean that all of Artemisa will be off, but there is an important part that will not have light,” Diaz-Canel said.

“In the midst of this situation, the National Electric System was restored, which has been working from the center to the east of the country. There is already power, the power service has been restored in several areas of the affected provinces. And now we have to start to recover with water, because the water base is also affected when there is no electricity to pump water,” added the Cuban president.

He also said that in a week there should be no traces of the hurricane in terms of sanitation.

“In terms of sanitation, in the general sense, on Monday we will already be in a situation where the traces, the most visible trace of the hurricane will not be present. We will still have electrical problems, water problems and the problems with housing and infrastructure that have to do with the same measure that the materials are arriving to be able to recover them,” said the president.