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Caritas Cuba wrote: It finally touched down in the municipality of Guamá, in the province of Santiago de Cuba , at 3:05 a.m., downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane. At that time, maximum sustained winds reached 120 mph (195 km/h), and the minimum central pressure was estimated at 952 mb (28.12 inches).
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Cuba noted, as reported by the media, a powerful hurricane has hit our homeland in the Eastern part of the country. He did it before in Jamaica, whose people and Church we want to bring all our solidarity and the certainty of our prayer. In Cuba we have experienced a catastrophe of enormous proportions. There are many towns in East Cuba where the floods have been severe. One million people are affected in more or less by the hurricane's passing.
Many families have totally lost their homes; others, roofs, mattresses, appliances. In many villages all the telephone or electricity poles are on the ground. There are images of mountainous areas that look destroyed, like dried by the wind.
The National Shrine of the Patroness of Cuba, Virgin of Charity in El Cobre shows signs of large, non-structural ruins, but there are broken stained glass windows and windows, the lanterns, the exterior painting of the temple considerably damaged. Other temples and houses of churches have lost their roofs or were flooded. The situation of national tragedy left by the cyclone now adds to the already difficult everyday reality of our people, with scarcity of basic goods, prolonged and frequent power cuts, viruses and diseases spreading rapidly.
We thank God that, so far, no loss of human life has been reported. We also give thanks to all those who took in various institutions, family homes and churches, those who were at higher risk of affections.
We appeal to the solidarity of the sister churches and Caritas. To the Cubans from other parts of the world and across the country. To all who, with good will, want and can help us.
The devastating passage of Hurricane Melissa through eastern Cuba has left scenes of profound destruction in the town of El Cobre, home to the spiritual heart of the nation: the National Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, Patroness of Cuba.
In a Facebook post by a Catholic dioses in the area an audio recording shared by Father Rogelio Dean Puerta, parish priest and rector of the shrine, he describes a night “of great concern, pain, and worry,” marked by the immense force of the hurricane that struck the town with unprecedented violence.
The priest explains; “Our elders here in El Cobre say they have never seen anything like this. It has literally devastated the town,” the priest recounted with evident emotion.
Despite the preventative measures taken—including the individual protection of the church's stained-glass windows with firmly embedded aluminum structures—the force of the wind exceeded all expectations.
"The hurricane toppled masonry structures, damaged some stained-glass windows, and water managed to penetrate certain areas of the sanctuary," explained the rector.
Father Rogelio confirmed that, although the material damage is extensive, human life has been spared, and so far only one fatality has been reported in the area, an elderly person.
"We are trying to repair the damage to the sanctuary before going out to visit the town. From here, at the top of the hill, you can see El Cobre, and it is practically devastated. Only a few houses with concrete roofs remain standing; most people have lost everything," he added.
Without electricity, downed power lines, and a large part of the housing destroyed, the residents of El Cobre face a critical situation. In response, the parish priest has activated the parish's Caritas resources to offer spiritual and material first aid.
“For now, all we can do is provide food to those who need it most. It's a very difficult situation, but we continue to pray fervently, on our knees, at the feet of the Virgin,” he affirmed.
The priest made an urgent appeal for solidarity:
“I call upon all our friends in the Church, sister communities, confraternities, dioceses, congregations, and NGOs to turn their attention to eastern Cuba. It's going to be a very difficult time. We will need help to restore the houses and the sanctuary.”
He also asked that, as soon as possible, groups of volunteers from other provinces be organized to offer their time and labor to the reconstruction efforts:
“We will need brothers and sisters to come and help us, people who can come in a rustic style, with their supplies, to work with us. We need a lot, a lot of help.” The Shrine of Our Lady of Charity, a symbol of hope for millions of Cubans both inside and outside the country, has once again become a refuge of faith amidst the suffering.
Even among the rubble, priests and volunteers remain by the image of the Mother of all Cubans, sustaining prayer and hope.
“We continue to pray fervently,” concluded Father Rogelio. “We are at the feet of the Virgin, asking for all those suffering the consequences of this tragedy.”
Many families have totally lost their homes; others, roofs, mattresses, appliances. In many villages all the telephone or electricity poles are on the ground. There are images of mountainous areas that look destroyed, like dried by the wind.
The National Shrine of the Patroness of Cuba, Virgin of Charity in El Cobre shows signs of large, non-structural ruins, but there are broken stained glass windows and windows, the lanterns, the exterior painting of the temple considerably damaged. Other temples and houses of churches have lost their roofs or were flooded. The situation of national tragedy left by the cyclone now adds to the already difficult everyday reality of our people, with scarcity of basic goods, prolonged and frequent power cuts, viruses and diseases spreading rapidly.
We thank God that, so far, no loss of human life has been reported. We also give thanks to all those who took in various institutions, family homes and churches, those who were at higher risk of affections.
We appeal to the solidarity of the sister churches and Caritas. To the Cubans from other parts of the world and across the country. To all who, with good will, want and can help us.
The devastating passage of Hurricane Melissa through eastern Cuba has left scenes of profound destruction in the town of El Cobre, home to the spiritual heart of the nation: the National Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, Patroness of Cuba.
In a Facebook post by a Catholic dioses in the area an audio recording shared by Father Rogelio Dean Puerta, parish priest and rector of the shrine, he describes a night “of great concern, pain, and worry,” marked by the immense force of the hurricane that struck the town with unprecedented violence.
The priest explains; “Our elders here in El Cobre say they have never seen anything like this. It has literally devastated the town,” the priest recounted with evident emotion.
Despite the preventative measures taken—including the individual protection of the church's stained-glass windows with firmly embedded aluminum structures—the force of the wind exceeded all expectations.
"The hurricane toppled masonry structures, damaged some stained-glass windows, and water managed to penetrate certain areas of the sanctuary," explained the rector.
Father Rogelio confirmed that, although the material damage is extensive, human life has been spared, and so far only one fatality has been reported in the area, an elderly person.
"We are trying to repair the damage to the sanctuary before going out to visit the town. From here, at the top of the hill, you can see El Cobre, and it is practically devastated. Only a few houses with concrete roofs remain standing; most people have lost everything," he added.
Without electricity, downed power lines, and a large part of the housing destroyed, the residents of El Cobre face a critical situation. In response, the parish priest has activated the parish's Caritas resources to offer spiritual and material first aid.
“For now, all we can do is provide food to those who need it most. It's a very difficult situation, but we continue to pray fervently, on our knees, at the feet of the Virgin,” he affirmed.
The priest made an urgent appeal for solidarity:
“I call upon all our friends in the Church, sister communities, confraternities, dioceses, congregations, and NGOs to turn their attention to eastern Cuba. It's going to be a very difficult time. We will need help to restore the houses and the sanctuary.”
He also asked that, as soon as possible, groups of volunteers from other provinces be organized to offer their time and labor to the reconstruction efforts:
“We will need brothers and sisters to come and help us, people who can come in a rustic style, with their supplies, to work with us. We need a lot, a lot of help.” The Shrine of Our Lady of Charity, a symbol of hope for millions of Cubans both inside and outside the country, has once again become a refuge of faith amidst the suffering.
Even among the rubble, priests and volunteers remain by the image of the Mother of all Cubans, sustaining prayer and hope.
“We continue to pray fervently,” concluded Father Rogelio. “We are at the feet of the Virgin, asking for all those suffering the consequences of this tragedy.”
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