Estrella Valdés did not have to worry about the roof of her parents’ house in the face of Tropical Storm Idalia. After almost a year of waiting after the damage from Hurricane Ian, the complete collapse of the house finally found a solution.
“Look how beautiful we are and the zinc never arrived. My parents are almost 90 years old and live alone and had lost hope, but I always told them to trust. Apart from being a Christian and having a lot of faith in the Lord, I trust a lot in this Revolution.”
Estrella’s parents reside in the urban popular council of Viñales and were beneficiaries of one of the modules that the Red Cross donated to the country after the hurricane hit last September.
In the same case we find Ofelia García, who adds that in addition to the roof, the module included a kitchen kit and a tool kit, mosquito net, sheet and a lamp. “It took a long time for us to finally have a roof over our heads. “I put myself in the place of those who are still waiting for theirs, especially now that the rains have started,” she says.
SOME PALLIATIVES
Although Viñales was not one of the municipalities most affected by Ian and more recently by tropical storm Idalia, there was damage to the territory’s housing stock. Almost a year after the first meteorological event, of the 5,590 quantified cases, today they are only 45 percent recovered.
This was reported by José Orielbys Velázquez, municipal director of Housing, who added that tropical storm Idalia caused 29 damages, most of them partial roof collapses.
“When Ian, 119 total and 310 partial collapses were quantified here, 205 total roof collapses and 605 partial. The municipality’s strategy, in line with what the country is asking, is to solve the partial and total ceiling issues by November 30.
“That would mean trying to recover 21 homes a day, but it is a strategy that is not fulfilled, due, above all, to the delay in the arrival of resources,” explained the manager.
In Viñales, due to the characteristics of the territory from a heritage point of view, alternatives have been sought in some rural areas with wooden modules and guano covers.
The official added that through the Red Cross a donation of 130 covers was approved, especially aimed at families in vulnerable situations.
“The donor requested that they be Typology III homes and with enclosures so that they would have a more resistant and secure finish. The module consists of 12 purlins, 25 fibers, six sawhorses, screws and tools.
“So far we have 20 completed and 26 underway in all the popular councils. It is a work that is practically carried out in a few days, but the labor is very expensive,” warns the official.
To avoid this expense, Yaniel Rivera, one of those who benefited from the donation, decided to undertake the work with the help of some neighbors, and in a few days his two young children would finally have a safe roof over their heads.
Just over 2,000 homes have been recovered in Viñales since Ian passed through. The rains from Tropical Storm Idalia also left their mark on thirty families waiting for a roof. Despite the palliative that donations from different organizations represent, the delivery of resources is undoubtedly one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome.
