Photo / Diario Granma.

By María Josefina Arce

Intense and tireless work is being done in Cuba.  With everyone's effort, progress is being made in the recovery after Hurricane Ian hit the western part of the country last week.  Damages were considerable, especially in the province of Pinar del Río, but a change in the situation is already visible in many places.

Others require more work due to the serious damage caused by Ian, which passed through our territory with category 3 on the Saffir Simpson scale. All efforts and available resources are concentrated in these areas.

Let us bear in mind that Ian affected agriculture, the electrical and telephone network, tobacco houses, housing, roads and economic infrastructure.

Together with the citizens, who have joined the recovery actions, the country's authorities have been present to know the situation of the inhabitants, listen to their concerns and explain what may take more time to recover due to the complexity of the damages and the existing materials.

And although international solidarity is broad; donations have been received from Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, the World and Pan American Health Organizations and the UN Development Program, among others, the economic situation of the country was already complex after two years of the pandemic caused by COVID 19, and the reinforcement of the US blockade.

The top management has been present in the various territories. The Cuban president, Miguel Díaz Canel, has visited Pinar del Río on several occasions. He has been in the most affected places such as the community of Coloma, where the hurricane entered.

On Thursday, he went to Artemisa, where he talked with local authorities and indicated to prioritize and speed up issues related to housing, one of the hardest hit sectors.

The concern and attention to the different communities has been and continues to be constant, where the deputies of the People's Power have also been with the people.

Although the complex panorama left by the natural phenomenon has led, of course, to intensify these visits and contacts with the population, it is not something new, it is a mechanism developed by the government to know closely the concerns of all and to respond to their needs.

Meetings are also held on a permanent basis to check how the recovery is progressing in the territories most affected by the hurricane.

Cuba has mobilized to repair the damage and move forward. As the president has called for, it has joined efforts, talents, arms and disposition.