Response to Hurricane Matthew: Cuba Situation Report No. 29 Office of the Resident Coordinator (April 10, 2017)

Highlights

• Over 30,180 homes out of the 42,338 affected homes by hurricane Matthew have been recovered in the province of Guantánamo.

• 188 out of the 8,300 houses completely destroyed by the hurricane have been rebuilt.

• As the first phase of the reconstruction period is coming to its end, efforts are being intensified in repairing the more than 3,000 roofs that suffered total or partial damages by the hurricane.

• The frequent rainfalls are affecting the already difficult road repairs being undertaken in Baracoa and Maisí on uneven terrains.

• Hurricane Matthew affected 2,706 kilometers of roads in the municipalities of Maisí, Baracoa, Imías, San Antonio del Sur and Yateras.

• Experts believe that the hurricane damaged 38,6 percent of the total area of the Alejandro Humboldt National Park; a zone of greatest biodiversity and endemic species of the Caribbean islands.

Situation Overview

Six months after the passing of hurricane Matthew in the East of Cuba, national and local authorities reiterate the need of continuing efforts in an organized way, putting emphasis on the recovery of the housing fund of the Eastern municipalities of the province of Guantánamo - Baracoa and Maisí - that suffered the greatest damages.

In the housing sector, it is important to increase the local production of construction materials such as building blocks, joists, and tiles for the rehabilitation of housing structures and the construction of new homes, taking into account the lessons learned during the first recovery phase, the monitoring of materials and resources, the quality of the execution of the labor and the introduction of Forsa and Petrocasas which allowed for the building of new settlements in areas of less vulnerability.

The press reports that the frequent rainfalls are delaying the difficult road building efforts in the hills of Maisí and Baracoa. In order to continue with the creation of a road detour connecting Baracoa and Maisí, explosives will have to be employed in order to diminish the steep slopes of the rocky terraces.