Recent flooding in the Guantanamo municipality of San Antonio del Sur, caused by Hurricane Oscar, has resulted in heart-wrenching scenes. Among these are the courageous efforts of individuals helping neighbors, many of them elderly, whose lives were at risk without assistance. Three videos shared on Facebook by digital creator Luis ViralInfluencer Suárez capture the moment when two elderly individuals—a man and a woman—were rescued by young locals braving a street turned into a fast-flowing river.
"Brave young people are rescuing individuals to move them to higher ground amidst the flooding from Hurricane Oscar. The rescuers are Freidi Ramírez, Henry Durán, and Onelis," stated the source.
"San Antonio del Sur is in pain," wrote journalist Miguel Reyes early Tuesday on Facebook. Reyes has been documenting the extent of the flooding in the Guantanamo area through videos and photos. Despite a massive blackout that plunged the country into darkness since midday last Friday, hindering Cubans from staying informed about the approaching storm, the Cuban government claims evacuations were indeed conducted.
According to the Granma newspaper on Monday, more than 15,000 people were evacuated: 9,000 in Imías and 6,000 in San Antonio del Sur. Nevertheless, the images emerging from both San Antonio del Sur and Imías are striking: flooded homes, lost food supplies, and families struggling to salvage what little they can.
Government's Response to the Crisis
Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez emphasized in an emergency meeting that although Oscar initially seemed like a "small cyclone," its power and speed turned it into a devastating force for the eastern region of the country. Members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) and the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) were involved in rescue operations, especially in the hardest-hit areas where water levels exceeded a meter in height.
Recovery efforts are underway, but the challenge is immense in a nation grappling with a severe economic crisis on multiple fronts. The aftermath of Hurricane Oscar in Guantánamo has left a trail of destruction and loss that will impact the province for a long time. While the cyclone has long since moved away from Cuba, the recovery work is just beginning.
"All of Cuba is focused on Guantánamo," declared Miguel Díaz-Canel.