Cuban President chairs meeting on eastern Cuba recovery efforts
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Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, chaired a meeting of the National Defense Council at Havana’s Palace of the Revolution to assess recovery efforts in the eastern region of the country, which was affected by Hurricane Melissa three weeks ago.
According to sources from the Presidency, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz led the session, which was also attended by Salvador Valdés Mesa, Vice President of the National Defense Council, along with other members of the Political Bureau.
Cuban first deputy minister of Energy and Mines Argelio Abad Vigoa said that 84.8 percent of the power service has been restored in eastern Cuba. He broke down the figures according to provinces: Holguín reached 93.12 percent, Granma 96.19, Santiago de Cuba 60, Guantánamo 99, and Las Tunas 100 percent. All municipal capitals now have electricity.
Bladimir Matos Moya, First Vice President of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources, reported that water supply has been almost fully restored in Holguín, although issues remain in the regions of Urbano Noris and Mayarí. Recent rains in the province of Granma delayed the installation of equipment needed for water distribution.
In Santiago de Cuba, an average 88 percent recovery of the local infrastructure recovery has already taken place, with the greatest difficulties in region of Contramaestre due to instability in the electrical service.
Transportation Minister Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila explained that brigades have begun certifying the central highway up to Santiago de Cuba, and that are currently checking the most damage road segments to speed up land communication in the eastern province of Granma.
According to official data, landline telephone service has recovered to 83.2 percent and mobile service to 88 percent in the affected provinces.
Authorities from Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, Granma, and Holguín provinces reported on the damage inflicted on housing, economic facilities and also addressed measures underway to advance the recovery stage.
The National Defense Council agreed to maintain systematic monitoring of basic services and road infrastructure with the goal of accelerating the normalization of economic and social life in eastern Cuba. (Source: ACN)
