There can be no pauses in the recovery 

Photo: Lorenzo Crespo

Santiago de Cuba.— From the emblematic Hall of the Stained Glass Room of the Revolution  Square Major General Antonio Maceo Grajales, and headed by its President, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, the National Defense Council -which through the audio-conference system was connected to the capital, Artemisa, Mayabeque and Granma- checked the recovery from the onslaught of hurricanes Oscar and Rafael, as well as the strong earthquakes of Sunday.Diaz-Canel highlighted the results of the Guantánamo province, where he was during Thursday morning, in the attention to the victims of Hurricane Oscar. However, he said, in this process there can be no pauses.It was reported that in Artemisa, special attention is being given to the two affected hospitals, that 67% of the population is already receiving water through the networks, and at the same time, the 52 pumping stations that are still not connected to the National Electric System (SEN) are being worked incessantly.In Mayabeque, 94 % of the electrical networks and systems have been reestablished, although 22 communities are not connected -a figure that should decrease to 17 this Friday-, and the facilities of agricultural camps are being reconverted into houses.Telecommunications are operating at 87% and work continues to reach 100% in the shortest possible time.Díaz-Canel, accompanied by the member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee of the Party, Roberto Morales Ojeda, insisted that both provinces, eminently agricultural, "have to boost planting, harvesting and food collection, and revitalize the organopónicos and orchards".In these territories, the distribution of rice from the standard family basket continues, as well as in Havana, a province where 99.4% of its customers have electricity service, reinforces the collection of solid waste and sanitation of the city, and managed to reduce, during the day, 98,000 people without access to water through the networks.In Pilón, Granma, the situation is gradually returning to normal and, as in Santiago de Cuba, promotion actions to reduce vulnerability to the occurrence of earthquakes are being increased. Pinar del Río is also showing flattering results in its efforts to overcome the adversities imposed by Rafael.During the session of the National Defense Council, an update on the work of the groups and subgroups that compose it was received, and the protagonism of the people in each of the recovery tasks was recognized.