Washington DC, November 29, 2025 – One month ago today, Hurricane Melissa swept through eastern Cuba, leaving destruction, anguish, and a worsening situation for the region’s inhabitants in its wake. We spoke with three activists who, in addition to facing the impact of the cyclone, are surviving state abandonment, political harassment, and the collapse of basic services. From the province of Holguín, Ronald Mendoza (50), Eduardo Cardet (57), and Geydis Jaime (24) recount how they experienced the disaster and how the humanitarian emergency is deepening on an island mired in a social, political, economic, and health crisis. 

On October 29, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Cuba as one of the strongest storms of the 2025 hurricane season (June to November), causing severe flooding, structural damage, and the collapse of essential services. Although no deaths were reported in Cuba, the damage deepened the vulnerability of communities already suffering from shortages. According to the United Nations mission in Cuba, Melissa left more than 3.5 million people homeless, 90,000 homes damaged or destroyed, and around 10,000 hectares of crops damaged.

The impact of the cyclone and the lack of aid

In Levisa, a town in the municipality of Mayarí (part of Holguín), Ronald Mendoza recounts: “We lost most of our belongings (during the natural disaster).” He says that when the cyclone reached its peak, he “was hiding under the sink.” The roof of his house was blown off and the overflowing river flooded his home: “The water reached my belly button.” A month later, he says that “aid is minimal” and that they have only received some basic supplies. “We are still standing thanks to the help of our neighbors,” he adds.

In Velasco, another town in Holguín, doctor and activist Eduardo Cardet experienced an unprecedented night. “The water had never reached those levels before. The Paneque River rose considerably. In my house, it reached two meters,” he says. He and his family lost almost everything. “You always regret material losses because they are very difficult to recover,” he says, adding that the little help he has received has come from the community and the Catholic Church. 

In the city of Holguín, Geydis Jaime says that “it was the first time” she had seen anything like this (the force of Hurricane Melissa). “The water came into the house and I lost mattresses, clothes, a television, a refrigerator, and even my phone,” she adds. During the emergency, the power lines collapsed and “neighborhood residents had to fix them” because no authorities responded. “Here, the power goes out every six hours and no one has offered us any help,” she says. 

Harassment and surveillance amid disaster

Repression adds to the devastation. Two days before this interview (on November 13), for example, a man showed up at Cardet’s home to demand that he stop denouncing the serious health situation in Cuba. The national coordinator of the Christian Liberation Movement (MCL), who was imprisoned for political reasons between 2016 and 2019, says that on several occasions he has been advised to leave the island, proposals that he has rejected.

Mendoza, regional coordinator of the Center for Leadership and Development Studies (CELIDE), and Jaime, a member of the Women’s Platform organization, also report constant harassment and threats. “In the past, I have looked for work and been denied. They tell me: there is only work for revolutionaries,” denounces Ronald, who before the hurricane sold honey and lost most of his beehives after the emergency.

An out-of-control epidemiological crisis

The health situation is aggravated by diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, contaminated water, and food spoiled by the lack of electricity. According to Francisco Durán, head of epidemiology at the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap), 47,000 Cuban residents have been diagnosed this week with a virus that is stalking the island, although doctors, activists, and communities point out that the underreporting is much higher and that there are more sick people who do not appear in the official data.

Cardet warns that there are cases of dengue, Zika, chikungunya, Oropouche, and other diseases, and that “there are people who have died and thousands who are sick.” He himself recently reported (on November 24) that he is also ill with one of these viruses. Geydis and her mother (aged 54), meanwhile, have fallen ill before and after the cyclone, in an area that, she says, has been without water for up to seven months.

Power cuts are constant and some areas have been without electricity since the hurricane struck. Families cook with charcoal, store food in the homes of acquaintances, and live in anticipation of the few hours when the power returns. 

Cardet says something that perhaps best sums up this moment: “We are plunged into an endless abyss.” And yet, despite everything, the three remain in Cuba. They continue to speak out. They continue to resist. They continue to live.

At Race and Equality, we continue to monitor the situation in Cuba and accompany activists and human rights defenders who face increasing risks in this context. We call on international organizations, governments, and civil society organizations to keep their attention on the island, demand guarantees for fundamental rights, and support those who work for freedom, justice, and dignity in Cuba.