Council of Ministers: Order and Recovery Must Go Together

Cuba President Miguel Diaz-Canel reiterated the need for the offices of procedures for the acquisition of construction materials to work with quality, but also with haste

We can’t get tired of explaining to people, of giving them all the necessary information, of listening to their problems, of talking to them about the magnitude of the damage and the effort being
made in each of the Havana neighborhoods affected by the devastating tornado to minimize the damage in the shortest time possible.

These were ideas that President Miguel Díaz-Canel insisted on this Saturday night during another meeting of the Council of Ministers to channel solutions and unblock others, as well as speed up as much as possible the procedures that in many cases the population needs to carry out.

The listing of the effects has to be family by family, case by case,” he stressed, “so that we can know if people have where to cook, where to sleep, or if they already have electricity, water supply and telephone services.

There is an urgent need to better organize the donations that are being taken to the communities in a personal capacity, so that everyone can benefit, especially those who have suffered the most damage, he said.

He also reiterated the need for the offices of procedures for the
acquisition of construction materials to work with quality, but also with haste, which will allow faster progress in the recovery of damaged property, either in whole or in part. Explaining constantly to the population about every detail of the process that takes place in these places is key, he added.

Given the increase in people who have begun to go to these establishments, the Minister of Finance and Prices, Meisi Bolaños Weiss, said that measures will be taken to ensure that the flow of population does not impede progress in the proceedings and better organize the work.

The Minister of Construction, René Mesa Villafaña, said that this Saturday began the construction of housing in different places. Meanwhile, of the 3,513 counted with damage so far, has already managed to make the technical file for 2,873, something essential to acquire materials.

Reynaldo Garcia Zapata, president of the government in Havana, added that work also began on several premises that will be converted into housing.

On the other hand, the Minister of Public Health, José Angel Portal Miranda, reported that unfortunately this Saturday two of the 13 people who were in serious condition died as a result of injuries suffered during the tornado.

Raúl García Barreiro, Minister of Energy and Mines said that practically all the electrical service has been restored and only a few specific places remain without electricity, which will also be solved in the next few hours.

In the case of telephone services, the Minister of Communications, Jorge Luis Perdomo Di-Lella, said it is restored at 65%. The most complicated place is in the area of Jesús del Monte, close to the Maternal Hospital; it was only this Saturday that they were able to undertake the work there and all the necessary poles are already in place to gradually install the lines.

In the telephone center of the municipality of Regla,” he added, “in addition to working for the re-establishment of services, a new radio base was installed with which coverage in the territory is improved.

It was also reported that during the day the sanitation work in the city advanced and that the supply of drinking water remains stable.

On this occasion, the central cadres of the Cuban Workers Federation, the Federation of Cuban Women and the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution also participated in the meeting, considering the notable contribution that these organizations can make to the process of recovery in the neighborhoods.

And so, while false news circulates on social networks about what has been done or not done in these days, the Cuban government continues to compensate for the damages and our people is multiplying lessons of solidarity and heroism.