Someone commented that Tropical Storm Elsa was named after an elementary teacher. That statement may have been fulfilled for this eastern Cuban province because the meteor left no material or human damage here; but, as a good teacher, its real threat put to the test the protocols in the face of extreme weather events, in the middle of a worse storm: a spike in COVID-19 transmission.

Ultimately, the circulation center of the first cyclone of the 2021 season passed 90 kilometers south of the coastal town of Guayabal. Some wind gusts of 50 kilometers per hour in the provincial capital and nine millimeters of rain in the Vega de Mano community, municipality of Jesús Menéndez, were their mark on the historical records of local meteorology.

However, this did not prevent more than 17,000 inhabitants of this province from being evacuated, the vast majority in the homes of relatives or neighbors. Elsa's trajectory meant that the greatest emphasis on these transfers occurred in the southern municipalities, specifically in the coastal settlement of Guayabal, in "Amancio", and those of the Zabalo area, in Jobabo. The same protection was given to the inhabitants of Nigua, in Majibacoa, and of communities in the southern region of the municipality of Las Tunas.

HEALTH, FIRST

For the Health System, this storm was a challenge, because unlike the scenario lived with "Laura" in 2020, Las Tunas is sunk now in the community transmission phase of COVID-19.

Therefore, relative and neighbors' homes became the primary shelter for families in danger, because state buildings - almost all educational centers that traditionally function as such in these contingencies - were functioning as isolation centers for COIVID-19 suspected or confirmed patients. The indication of the Provincial Defense Council was clear: strict compliance with the sanitary measures provided by the epidemiological authorities to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, especially the use of the facemask and physical distancing.

Other provisions guaranteed the rest of the healthcare services, maintaining the SARS-Cov-2 containment protocols. Thus, hospital beds were freed, isolation capacities were expanded by 400, and surgery and orthopedic teams were deployed in the municipalities of Manatí and Colombia, in the event of a possible cut-off of access by land. The Provincial Blood Bank summoned a representation of the 631 special donors registered for exceptional situations. In the same way, in the Guillermo Domínguez and the "Ernesto Guevara" hospitals, in Puerto Padre and the territorial capital, all the resources were provided for patient care and protection of human lives and economic assets.

The support of the Electric and GEYSEL companies, which commissioned more than 300 generator sets, many of which had to be removed from their sites to be placed in the isolation centers, was fundamental. Meanwhile, the transport workers stayed on the starting line for any eventuality.

NOT A POUND CAN BE LOST!

Material resources are scarce, and Las Tunas could not afford to allow "Elsa" to damage those available. To this end, many people worked rapidly to minimize the impact of the meteor. In total, more than 1,759 tons of food and 8,000 heads of large livestock were protected. Besides, the different production crops in harvest or species in the fishing phase were collected, distributed in the different market networks, or preserved for the population; thus avoiding losses due to winds and rain.

At the same time, the trade network “put its foot on the accelerator,” and through extended hours and the effort of its employees, managed to ensure that 70 percent of consumers in rural areas and 80 in urban neighborhoods acquired the products of the regulated basic basket; while making use of emergency options such as the advance sale of other high-demand goods such as bread, milk, and crackers.

The experts of the Provincial Delegation of Hydraulic Resources maintained vigilance on the reservoirs that, incidentally, do not reach half of their filling capacity. Meanwhile, the Aqueduct and Sewerage workers moved the electric pumps located in risky places to safe sites and organized the recovery brigades for the task after the passage of the storm.

ALL IN ONE

The information display of the Provincial Meteorological Center was notable; technical and service personnel monitored the weather minute by minute, offering timely data to the Defense Council in the province and the population, with an unprecedented emphasis on digital platforms. This novelty proved its effectiveness through its channels on Telegram and a group chat on Whatsapp, an initiative that maintained a constant update of the information to more than 70 journalists, specialists, and leaders of the territory.

Student, youth, and mass organizations joined their members in supporting the priorities defined in the popular councils, especially in the isolation and evacuation centers. Telecommunications specialists disassembled non-essential equipment, and verified and protected the communications network. The Culture sector was no less, as it quickly activated the protocols established for these cases, mainly in its network of museums.

HOMEWORK

"Teacher" Elsa has given the inhabitants of Las Tunas several tasks that we must complete as soon as possible because the hurricane season is just beginning. It is an important warning, also, to continue adjusting the norms established by the different organisms of the Central State Administration to their dependencies in the territory, some of which hindered the requirements of the local authorities to make decisions urged by the threat of the impact of a hydro-meteorological event of these characteristics.

Manuel Pérez Gallego, president of the Provincial Defense Council, described the confrontation of the Vicente García González land with Elsa as a successful practical exercise. "The discipline of the people and the desire to make good decisions as quickly as possible, always in very difficult conditions, was confirmed," he said.

In summarizing these days, Pérez Gallego did not fail to underline the concern of the country's highest leadership for how the most important was preserved here: the lives of citizens. This, he said, was evident in the telephone calls of both, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party and president of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez; as well as the prime minister Manuel Marrero Cruz; and the Army Corps General Ramón Espinosa Martín, chief of the Eastern Strategic Region.

The first tropical storm that touched Cuban land in 2021 is already history in Las Tunas, but we are still facing another much worse storm; and right now, we are experiencing its hardest blows: the COVID-19 pandemic. To beat it, we will need that same cohesion and discipline that we demonstrated while facing "Elsa.”