By Claudia Espinoza I. on October 19, 2022
photo: Julian Peters
This year Cuba had to face several battles from which -despite everything- it is emerging victorious.
In addition to the restrictions imposed by the U.S. blockade on commercial, financial, tourist and human transactions, the Cuban people had to face the tragedy of the Saratoga hotel, the fire of the supertankers in Matanzas and the disaster caused by Hurricane Ian, especially in the Pinar del Rio region.
Under “normal” conditions in a non-blockaded country, international assistance would have arrived to alleviate the vicissitudes that have claimed dozens of lives. But Cuba, which already has difficulties attending to the population on a daily basis in complex survival conditions, considering the pandemic and post-pandemic, is struggling to respond to the current emergencies.
According to Cuban press reports, 46 people died (25 men and 21 women, four children, a pregnant woman and a Spanish citizen) and another 40 were affected after the explosion of the emblematic Saratoga hotel in the Havana capital on May 6, which caused a partial collapse “caused by an explosion when a tanker truck with liquefied gas was serving the facility”, wrote Prensa Latina.
There was a large deployment of firefighters and volunteers who contributed to the finding and transportation of the injured and deceased, avoiding a major tragedy. The centrally located hotel was about to reopen soon after renovations made by the Cuban government, as it was a traditional, patrimonial place known for its tourist welcome.
In August, when life was returning to normal, suddenly the municipality of Matanzas became the focus of the news. In the midst of unexpected flares, the fuel storage supertankers caught fire for five days. According to the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap) 146 injured people remained in hospitals during those days, while 16 died, each one with their life stories interrupted in unison.
After that major tragedy of incalculable human and economic losses, in October, Cuba was victim of the natural disaster caused by Hurricane Ian. Ronald Hidalgo Rivera, president of the Municipal Defense Council in San Luis, Pinar del Río, said that in that territory, one of the most damaged by the passage of Ian with 1,477 total landslides and 7,829 houses damaged, reported Cubadebate portal.
There were prolonged cuts in basic services throughout several cities during the days of the hurricane. Although there was no lack of rescue brigades, volunteers and solidarity, the truth is that Cuba is rebuilding today, which is progressing with the same sovereignty as 69 years ago, when Comandante Fidel Castro pronounced the historic slogan: “History will absolve me”.
In between, there was a virtual battle. Groups of opponents to the Cuban revolution move millions of dollars in social networks to multiply disinformation and fake news. “The anti-Cuban campaign in the social networks has its sounding board in Bolivia, with a Cuban counterrevolutionary character embedded in the ultra-right wing of the Santa Cruz coup. His name is Magdiel Jorge Castro…”, writes Ramón Pedregal Casanova in the portal Cubainformación. With the same methodology, there are other farms of opponents operating to generate confusion among Internet users and block solidarity with the Cuban people that is rising in the world.
The Cuban revolution is putting itself to the test against all threats, and by winning every battle, it protects what is most precious to the people, loyalty and dignity, in the face of the various types of counterrevolutionary attacks. This Sunday, the New York Times published the document “LET CUBA REBUILD. Urgent appeal to President Biden”, in which US personalities demand the US President to lift sanctions to allow Cuba to purchase urgently needed supplies for the reconstruction after Hurricane Ian. There is still no response.
Time, the relentless one, continues to pass, while solidarity supplies arrive from other countries for the most affected families, brave and present in all battles.
Source: Cuba en Resumen