Carta de Cuba, la escritura de la libertad

July 13, 2005

Santiago de Cuba – After the transit of hurricane Dennis, the population in this western city was totally in a state of shock, amidst a total blackout, no electricity, no drinking water and being unable to buy any staple at the market places, where stalls are empty, without greens or vegetables… ¨The government has not provided anything, nor plantains, nor pumpkins, nor roots nor vegetables, nothing at all…¨, commented Ramiro Pérez, a worker in a dairy store located at El Cristo. According to Ramiro, ¨for six days we have not received milk from the dairy farms, they say the cows were moved to other places, in order to save them¨. Marta López, a housewife living two blocks from the Cathedral, indicated that ¨this –the hurricane passing- is a punishment from God for Cubans being such atheists¨. According to the government, dozens of brigades have joined in to reestablish the electrical cables and trim the hundreds of trees that have fallen down, following the hurricane passage through Santiago. Nevertheless, the neighbors are rushing to cut the trees to use them as firewood, improvising coal kitchens in order to cook the little food they have.- José Behar

Havana – Dissident groups indicated to Carta de Cuba, that due to the transit of hurricane Dennis and the electrical power, water service and transportation shortage, they were going to postpone the ceremonies which were to take place in Cuba, in memory of the victims of the ¨March 13¨ tugboat massacre. A silent vigil had been planned, followed by a religious service and the throwing of a flower wreath into the sea. In the wee hours of July 13, 1994, four ships belonging to the Cuban Estate, equipped with powerful water hoses attacked the tugboat trying to run away from Cuba, with 72 passengers on board. The events took place some seven miles away from the Cuban coast, in front of the city of Havana harbor. The tugboat sank, with a balance of 41 people dead, ten of them children y several other elders. The case was reported to the Interamerican Commission of Human Rights, in its report No. 47/96, as the case No. 11.436. The dissidents indicated that they will notify the press on the new date for the activities.

Matanzas – At the Swamp of Zapata, south of this province, the cooperatives taking care of hundreds of  alligators, reported that dozens of these nurseries were destroyed by the hurricane.¨There are no traces of the crocodiles¨, said Severiano Ruedas, a young worker at one of the cooperatives, where more than two hundred crocodiles were raised. According to the nurseries workers, the lack of maintenance at these ¨crocodiles farms¨, allowed the animals to escape to the sea, following the winds of hurricane Dennis.- Israel Mesa

Havana – After hurricane Dennis’ passage, this capital city is practically without electricity, the public transportation does not function and the collapse of buildings and houses is increasing, as the structures start to dry up. It is estimated that about 350 thousand people were momentarily sheltered in schools and working areas. The figures are not real. The numbers announced at Castro’s informative TV programs are exaggerated, unreal and unreasonable. One example is the number of houses collapsed: according to the Popular Power, more than one thousand five hundred houses remained uninhabitable, especially at the counties of Old Havana, Havana Center, Boyeros, San Miguel del Padrón and Marianao. Nevertheless, sources from the provincial architectural service indicated that 60% of the houses damaged were already declared uninhabitable, before the arrival of Dennis. In conversation with Carta de Cuba, the civil engineer Jorge Santamaría confirmed this information, adding that ¨in the capital –and the rest of the country- is not necessary for a hurricane to come by for the houses to deteriorate…The lack of maintenance prevailing over the buildings for more than thirty years, is the main cause of these collapses, not the weather¨, contended Santamaría.-

María Olaya

Cienfuegos – More than six hotels in Key Largo, the Colony Hotel in the Island of Youth, the motels of Baconao Tourist Park in Santiago de Cuba, and the Pasacaballo Hotel, in Cienfuegos, were severely damaged by hurricane Dennis, which presupposes substantial losses to the economy of Castro’s regime. Only in Key Largo –located on the southern part of the island- more than one thousand six hundred tourists had to be urgently transferred to Varadero, much to their disgust.¨I won’t come back¨, said Angeles Conde, a Basque vacationer who, with her sister and nephews, stayed two days without electricity, terrified before the fury of the cyclone, while vacationing in Punta del Este, in the Island of Youth.- José Quintana

Camagüey – The shortage of food is afflicting the population of nearly seven million people, in the western provinces. The rice fields in the region of Bayamo, Santa Cruz del Sur and Ciego de Avila have suffered severe losses, especially due to the invasion of the sea, which has salinized the crops. It is in these three rice areas, where sixty per cent of the rice consumed in the nation is produced. Since Cuba is incapable of producing rice –the basic staple of the Cuban people- it has to invest more than one hundred million dollars importing it from the international market, fundamentally from Asia and United States, which has been the case during the year. Something similar takes place with the agriculture. The state farms hardly produce 30 per cent of the greens and vegetables the population needs. The independent farmers sector is the largest provider of those products for the so called farm & cattle markets. After the hurricane, the deficit –as it’s being said- shall be considerably larger during this very ¨hot¨ summer.- José Morán

Havana – The shortage of gasoline and petrol in the gas stations has paralyzed the transportation, public as well as private. In a tour through various counties in this capital, it was verified that the gas stations are not selling any, not only due to the lack of electricity, but because they are out of fuel. ¨Long before the hurricane arrived, the depots were empty¨, indicated Roberto Linares, a young employee from a gas station in Malecón and Infanta. In Vía Blanca Highway, in the Guanabo, Alamar and Tarará gas stations, for fifteen days, they haven’t had any gas. To provide for themselves, the private cars and trucks owners have to buy fuel in the Black Market, where a liter costs about three dollars each.- José Raúl García

¿QUE BLOQUEO?

Miami-  Observers have noticed the large amount of consumer and office electronic products from American companies,  which are presently being offered in Cuba to those who can pay for them in dollars. A Miami-based group has developed a website showing haow many of these products are available in Cuba for the fortunate few.  Many of these goods, besides being unaffordable by day-to-day people, also require a special permit from the government. As is known, the Government places severe restrictions on web access, PC's, printers and, particularly, on copying machines, to prevent oppositionist ideas from spreading in the Island. Press on the link  Where is the blockade?, for more information. 

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July 13, 2005