President Miguel Díaz-Canel oversaw Santiago de Cuba's recovery after hurricane Melissa

Published at: 13/11/2025 11:11 PM

The president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, arrived this Thursday, November 13, in Santiago de Cuba to oversee for the third consecutive week the recovery efforts in the province, one of the most affected by Hurricane Melissa.

Accompanied by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, the president began his journey at the El Cristo popular council, where local authorities reported that electricity has been restored in the urban area, although the damage persists in mountainous areas, the Telesur website reported.

In this town, progress is being made in the rehabilitation of houses and sanitation tasks have been completed after the historic floods of the river.

During a dialogue with the inhabitants, Díaz-Canel recognized the collective effort and assured that “together we will succeed”, while reiterating the commitment that none of the victims will be left helpless by the State.

Later, the entourage visited El Caney, another historic town where the damage is considerable. In this area, more than 2,000 homes have been reported affected, while the community of El Escandel remains incommunicado due to landslides. The main demand of its inhabitants is the stabilization of the water supply, a problem that already existed before the cyclone hit.

At a meeting with the Provincial Defense Council, it was reported that the number of homes affected throughout the province amounts to more than 95,000. Electricity recovery has reached 43% at the provincial level, while in the capital city it is expected to close the day with 84% of the service restored.

With respect to other basic services, 68% of the provincial population receives water through networks and fixed and mobile telephony are restored at 38% and 48%, respectively.

Díaz-Canel summoned the unit to speed up the work and urged the people of Santiago to join the support brigades that have arrived from other provinces of the country.

On the same day, the head of state toured the eastern province of Guantánamo to oversee recovery efforts in municipalities in the region.

Hurricane Melissa hit the eastern region of Cuba on October 29 with category 3, causing significant damage to the provinces, with Santiago de Cuba being the most affected by the weather event.

Mazo News Team