Photos: Estudios Revolución

Havana, November 10 (RHC)-- President Miguel Díaz-Canel returned to Pinar del Río.   It was his ninth visit after the passage of Hurricane Ian through the westernmost of our provinces.

He was received with a wide popular clamor and support, before his visit to San Luis, one of the municipalities most affected by the storm, along with San Juan and Martinez and the provincial capital "our recognition for you president, trust in Pinar del Rio", said the residents, while Diaz-Canel responded "we also trust in Pinar del Rio".

The exchange took place at the exit of the "José Jacinto Milanés" theater, where the gala-homage for the 50th anniversary of the institutionalization of Higher Education in Pinar del Río took place.

From there, the president left for San Luis, where a hard fight is being waged to save the affected tobacco and rehabilitate agriculture as soon as possible. Of the more than 14,000 tons of tobacco affected in the area, about 10,000 tons have been recovered.

San Luis is a land where humble people live, determined and as we say in good Cuban, they do not let themselves be defeated. That is why in his exchange with the people who acclaimed him, a cederista leader asserted to the president "here the effects were great in tobacco and various crops, but we continue to move forward and nobody gives up".

"Things are already looking different, things are returning to normal and that has to do with your strength and fortitude," said the president.

Together with the highest authorities of the Party and the Government of the province and of San Luis, the President visited the facilities where tobacco is now protected, as well as the children's home "Futura Generación", which was badly affected by the meteor, and which in little more than a week was rebuilt with the permanent collaboration and support of scientists from BioCubafarma.

"If before we admired them as scientists after seeing everything they have done here, we love them even more," said a visibly moved Díaz-Canel.

With the cooperation between provinces, in Pinar del Río housing solutions are being generalized. This was also confirmed by the Head of State in one of the communities visited in San Luis, where buildings are being built for hurricane victims based on an experience put into practice in Camagüey after the passage of a similar phenomenon.

"The province and the municipality are being transformed, that is why we have to go beyond the blockade", reiterated the Head of State who also acknowledged the contribution of forces from other provinces to promote the recovery of Pinar del Río.

As part of the intense visit, President Miguel Díaz-Canel attended a meeting with presidents of the Municipal Defense Councils, directors and government authorities who evaluated how the recovery has progressed so far.

The president called for comprehensive work on the housing issue, with priority on the rehabilitation of those whose roofs were partially damaged, which would represent a solution to at least 50 percent of the damage caused by the storm during the remainder of the current year.

In the case of agriculture, more than 11,000 tobacco houses were affected, 451 of which have already been resolved.

The president insisted on the need to give a boost to the planting of the cold season and short-cycle crops in order to seek greater sustainability in feeding the population.