As part of the solidarity actions towards Cuba for the severe damage caused by Hurricane Melissa, during the last few days the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People’s Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) and the Government of Venezuela have sent two boats and two flights with almost 8,000 tons of food. medical products, toys and other supplies, as well as a group of experts to work shoulder to shoulder in the recovery of the Caribbean nation.

The ship “Manuel Gual” arrived at the “Guillermón Moncada” International Port in the province of Santiago de Cuba last Tuesday, carrying 102 containers carrying 5,000 tons of humanitarian aid to assist the people of eastern Cuba, the area most affected by Melissa, which hit this nation on October 29 and caused countless damages although no deaths.

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Among the 102 containers are 74 with food and 28 with medicines, drinking water, basic household items (linen, mattresses, plastic bags), clothing, toys, water storage tanks and electrical material.

Earlier this week, the Venezuelan government sent another ship with 2,531 tons of humanitarian aid to support recovery from severe damage.

The hurricane directly affected the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Las Tunas and Holguín. With this second shipment sent by sea, the total amount of assistance channelled through ALBA rises to more than 7,000 tonnes.

Just hours after the hurricane hit, on October 30, Venezuela sent a flight with 26 tons of medical supplies, food and infrastructure materials destined for the eastern provinces. On that same date, ALBA sent another 20 tons to Jamaica, where Melissa caused severe havoc and four confirmed deaths so far.

In addition to the shipment of these two vessels, the Bolivarian Government sent a team of 22 professionals, including road specialists, to Cuba to collaborate in the restoration of power lines and other critical infrastructures.

Experts from the Corpoelec company are working on the ground in the rehabilitation of electrical networks, while road technicians joined the rehabilitation of bridges, roads and other works.

According to Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines, as of Nov. 11, the restoration of electricity service covered 100 percent of customers in Las Tunas, 96.88 percent in Guantanamo, 81.66 percent in Holguin, 73.44 percent in Granma and 34.01 percent in Santiago de Cuba.

During a meeting of the expanded National Defense Council, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, explained that the greatest efforts are concentrated in Santiago de Cuba due to the extensive damage to distribution lines – the fall of trees, for example, had serious effects on poles, lines and other infrastructure – and the complexity of their rehabilitation.

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At the beginning of this week, more than 3,700 technicians were working in that territory and the sending of more forces was organized. The hurricane knocked down kilometers of cables, high voltage towers, and flooded electrical substations, among other damages to the National Energy System (SEN).

In general, it affected thousands of homes, educational centers, health institutions and other infrastructure, as well as large areas of cultivated land. Extensive damage is reported to bridges, roads, railways, dams and telephone antennas.

The humanitarian bridge created by ALBA is the result of the solid bonds of brotherhood and solidarity between the peoples and the Governments of Venezuela and Cuba. The ALBA ships are an expression of life and travel to the Caribbean island at a time when other ships that sail the Caribbean, doomsayers and belonging to the United States, threaten the peace and sovereignty of the homeland of Bolívar and Chávez

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