KINGSTON, Jamaica: The People’s National Party is expressing concern for the welfare of Cuban residents and Jamaican students currently studying in Cuba, following the landfall of Hurricane Ian on Tuesday.
Hurricane Ian hit Western Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane, knocking out electricity to the entire country and leaving 11 million people in darkness.
The hurricane struck as Cuba recovers from one of the country's worst periods of financial hardship in its history, with its ailing infrastructure already causing widespread power outages. The latest reports indicate that 2 persons have lost their lives and several infrastructures and tobacco fields have been damaged.
As the island goes into its recovery phase, the PNP stands in solidarity with Cuba and prays that the nation will band together in this difficult time and heal from the emotional and economic toll this tragedy has caused.
The PNP has also expressed confidence in the will and strength of the Cuban people to build back stronger and calls on the entire Caribbean community to lend a helping hand to Cuba.
The PNP stands in solidarity with the Jamaican students. PNP President, Mark Golding, MP is calling on the Government to continue to check on the welfare of Jamaican students in Cuba who are being affected by this natural disaster. He is urging the Prime Minister to not withhold any support our students may need.
In the meantime, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel following a tour of the affected areas, highlighted the pressing need to build increasingly resistant housing, advance in sewerage project on which work is already underway, and to restore roads with materials less vulnerable to sea water.
“Everything will not be solved all at once, but everything will be taken care of and no one will be left helpless,” he said, while calling attention to how important would it be to keep constant assessment of the epidemiological situation in the territory, taking into account epidemics risks that may be brought about by the flooding.
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