The Municipal Defense Council in Mayari was activated this Friday afternoon in response to the threats of hurricane Elsa and the information phase decreed for the eastern provinces.
Bárbara Díaz Ramírez, President of the aforementioned body, affirmed that the 19 defense zones of the municipality are also active, in reduced composition, and indicated that the groups and subgroups must put into practice the plans to minimize the possible damages of the atmospheric phenomenon.
The leader reflected on the intensified danger in the midst of the confrontation with the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasized that the most important thing is to save human life, while stressing the importance of securing housing and economic resources.
Aida Hernández Torres, vice-president of the Municipal Assembly of People's Power, informed that several centers are ready for the evacuation of people, at the same time that studies continue to expand the possibilities in the hunting area, although at this point it is vital the self-evacuation in safe houses of neighbors.
More than twelve thousand people may be evacuated in Mayari in case of a direct impact of the hurricane, while this figure may exceed 30 thousand in the case of self-evacuation.
Among the actions checked by the Municipal Defense Council, the state was highlighted in the cleaning of drains and sewers, as well as the safety and transfer of animals and artificial irrigation machines in agriculture.
Those responsible for the combined meat and dairy products said that they have the necessary raw material to ensure the delivery of food to the evacuation centers.
On the other hand, the food production company has flour coverage for the production of bread for the basic food basket and the possibility of guaranteeing five tons of cookies, which, if necessary, will be used to feed the protected people.
According to evaluations, there are currently about 20 tons of foodstuffs in the process of harvesting and stockpiling, a fact that demands all the urgency on the part of those responsible in the agricultural sector.
Bárbara Díaz Ramírez, pointed out the need to supply the points of sale known as "placitas" and to continue guaranteeing what is necessary in the hospital and isolation centers, linked to COVID-19.
Specialists in the subject valued that currently there are possibilities of harvesting in some cassava and sweet potato plantations that are more than five months old and could be damaged by the rains.
Sobeida González Fernández, head of the services group, said that work is being done to process fifty tons of paddy rice, which should make it possible to increase the cereal for consumption in the places most in need of this food.
In the same way, he also said that the business unit of Base Pesca Nipe continues with the production of fish croquettes and in the next few hours a little more than 29 thousand units should be shipped.
Florencio Leyva Olmus, director of the municipal company of Commerce, informed that they are working on the evacuation of the processing center and the gastronomy warehouse, units that are in floodable areas.
Yordanis Pérez Urrutia, vice-president of the Defense Council in Mayarí, reminded that at this moment there is special protection of the public health institutions, including the family doctor's and nurse's offices, so the municipal direction of the branch must take the necessary measures.
As part of the control work, it was learned that the reservoirs maintain high water levels and in the case of the Mayarí dam, it discharges a little more than 36 cubic meters per second, which represents a water level of more than one meter high, a fact which favors the flow of the main local river.
Among the points evaluated, the complex situation of confronting the pandemic was emphasized, a fact that is causing an increase in the number of cases and the possibility of setting up a new field hospital for those assessed as suspicious.
Dr. Yanet Tamayo Laurencio, director of hygiene and epidemiology in Mayari, said that today the average number of contacts per positive case is in the range of 10 to six people.
She also said that the latest cases are reported from the areas under surveillance and that the municipality has 298 patients in isolation centers.
Tamayo Laurencio highlighted that in the hospital set up in the José Martí special school, 36 cases positive to Sars-cov 2 are being treated, most of them from the municipality of Cueto.
In view of the possibility that the direct contacts remain at home, the president of the Municipal Defense Council, Bárbara Díaz Ramírez, requested to raise people's awareness so that they keep all the discipline in their homes.