The inhabitants of Cuban westernmost province, Pinar del Río, reached today the sixth day of confronting the consequences of what many there consider the worst natural disaster they have ever seen in their lives.

In this effort, they have the support of contingents of workers from areas of the country less damaged by Hurricane Ian, which directly hit that territory last September 27.

Brigades of linemen from several provinces are collaborating with local forces in the reestablishment of the electrical network destroyed by the fury of sustained winds of more than 200 kilometers per hour and intense rainfall of Ian, while work is progressing to reestablish other vital services.

In the affected municipalities, the population is collaborating in the collection of waste and sanitation tasks, with the support of people arriving from other areas of the province and State agencies and institutions.

Donations of food, paints and fowler beds, collected by the Cuban Association of United Nations, the religious institution Quisicuaba, and private entrepreneurs, also arrived in this territory, while artistic brigades bring joy to the communities in the midst of pain.

It also receives solidarity aid from nations such as Mexico and Venezuela, and from the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization and the United Nations Development Program, among others.

The day before, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel visited Pinar del Río for the third time since the emergency was declared, to verify the recovery work and talk with its inhabitants, to whom he conveyed confidence and the will to repair the damage caused by Ian.

In his Twitter profile, the head of state said that the «situation is difficult, the damages are considerable, more than 200 families have lost their homes completely. But the people of Pinar del Río are not alone, #Todos Juntos saldremos de esta».