To Matanzas: My Embrace, My Hope

By Teresa Melo on August 8, 2022

I will not repeat the news. The journalists and media are there, reporting minute by minute… I don’t think anyone slept, even those of us who are not in Matanzas. The videos of the explosion of the second tank, testimonies of firefighters, photos, bitter crying, fear, fear, fire spread, nearby electrical networks and transformers destroyed, steam, smoke, intense heat… And that red sky…

I repeat, get informed through the official channels, which in addition to the verified news offer essential advice on how to protect oneself from the smoke and so on.  I want to find a handhold of hope, as I always do, so as not to fall into the dark web of pessimism.

This is the most difficult fire that Cuba has faced in its history. A few hours ago another necessary team arrived, ready at this moment for the fight. Several planes from Mexico and Venezuela have arrived here. Teams from our countries are all working as a single force.

Yesterday I was excited reading about the donation of medicines for burns, sent by a doctor from Ghana, a doctor who graduated in Cuba. And so there are a thousand similar stories, acts of deep love coming out. I cling to them.

My thoughts go out to the families of the missing firefighters and the deceased, to the injured, to all those who are there. My sky is blue now, but it is as if I were under a red sky, the one of Matanzas. My embrace. My hope. We will win. I know it.

Source: La Pupilia, translation, Resumen Latinoamericano -US