Traces of a storm - This is my entry #1 for the #monomad challenge [ENG-SPA]

Hello community, here I am releasing my first post in these challenges and I have chosen for it a series of photos I took during my trip as a photojournalist to the town of La Coloma, the place where hurricane Ian landed in the province of Pinar del Rio, Cuba.

We traveled 13 days after the disastrous meteorological event and with pain we were able to appreciate how thousands of people suffered the terrible impact of that storm that entered the island with category 4 and wind gusts of 200 km/h.

Today the recovery is progressing with the best disposition of the country's authorities, but it is impossible to quickly meet all the needs of those affected, and that crushed my heart. As always, after disasters like this one, Cubans show solidarity and extend a helping hand to a friend, a neighbor, or a stranger while solutions arrive for those who lost everything or almost everything.

Hola comunidad, acá estoy estrenando mi primer post en estos desafíos y he escogido para ello una serie de fotos que hice durante mi viaje como fotorreportera al poblado La Coloma, el lugar por donde el ciclón Ian tocó tierra en la provincia de Pinar del Río, Cuba.
El periplo lo realizamos 13 días después del nefasto evento meteorológico y con dolor pudimos apreciar cómo miles de personas sufrieron el impacto terrible de esa tormenta que entró en la isla con categoría 4 y rachas de viento de 200 km/h.

Hoy la recuperación avanza con la mejor disposición de las autoridades del país pero es imposible llegar con rapidez a cubrir todas las necesidades de los afectados y eso me estrujó el corazón. Como siempre, luego de situaciones de desastres como esta, los cubanos se solidarizan y tienden la mano lo mismo a un amigo, que a un vecino, que a un desconocido mientras llegan las soluciones para quienes lo perdieron todo o casi todo.

_{Ian did not spare most of the houses with light roofs and plank walls / Ian no perdonó a la mayoría de las casas con cubiertas ligeras y paredes de tablas.}

This 26-kilometer road leading to La Coloma was totally interrupted with downed wires, trees and poles.

The work of collection is already noticeable, but the villagers were suffering from the lack of electricity, more than 10 days after the passing of the unfortunate storm.
In a brief conversation with Francisco, I could see his resistance and will and he told me that every morning he gets bread for his neighbors. "We haven't lacked food," he told me.

Esta carretera de 26 kilómetros que conduce a La Coloma quedó totalmente interrumpida con cables, árboles y postes caídos. Ya se notaba el trabajo de recogida, pero los lugareños sufrían por la falta de corriente eléctrica, 13 días después del paso de la infortunada tormenta. En una breve conversación con Francisco, pude su notar la resistencia y voluntad y me comentó que todas las mañanas le alcanza el pan a sus vecinos. “Eso sí, comida no nos ha faltado”, me dijo.

_{The wind arranged the symmetry of the landscape at will / El viento dispuso a su antojo la simetría del paisaje.}

Around 10:00 a.m. the bread arrived at the little school where these girls were helping with the collection and recovery of school supplies. They were very excited to be in the photos and happily offered me a little piece of their snack. I thanked them and told them that if I had not had breakfast before I would have eaten it all by myself and those were their expressions when I told them such a thing.
We laughed and I thought that children are very special and innocent creatures. So much sadness everywhere and they were so happy.

Cerca de las 10 de la mañana llegó el pan a la escuelita donde estas niñas apoyaban en la recogida y recuperación de útiles escolares. Estaban muy animadas por salir en las fotos y me brindaron con alegría un pedacito de su merienda. Les agradecí y les dije que de no haber desayunado antes me lo comía todo yo sola y esas fueron sus expresiones cuando les dije semejante cosa. Nos reímos y pensé que los niños son criaturas muy especiales e inocentes. Tanta tristeza por doquier y ellas tan felices.

💔

When I entered the little school and saw this scene I was impressed. The teacher says that the children put their chairs in the shaded areas to receive the classes.

Cuando entré a la escuelita y vi esta escena quedé impresionada. La maestra dice que los niños ponen sus sillas en los espacios de sombra para recibir las clases.

We continued our trip and I had to get out of the car and ask what the facility was that had been left in such condition. The two old ladies who were waiting for transportation at that rickety stop informed me that it was a rice drying shed.

Continuamos nuestro viaje y tuve que bajarme del auto y preguntar qué instalación era esa que había quedado en semejantes condiciones. Las dos ancianas que esperaban algún transporte en esa parada desvencijada me informaron que se trataba de un secadero de arroz.

_{Like this facility, many others in the local economic sector suffered serious damage and a large amount of resources destined for the population were lost, which led to the imminent mobilization of the other provinces of the country to send food and other supplies to Pinar del Río, mainly to the most critical areas.}

_{Como esta instalación, muchísimas del sector económico de la localidad sufrieron graves daños y se perdió gran cantidad de recursos destinados a la población, por lo que se hizo inminente la movilización de las demás provincias del país para enviar alimentos y otros insumos a Pinar del Río, principalmente a las zonas más críticas.}

So much destruction is hard to assimilate for our intrusive gaze; however, I feel it is impossible to put myself in the shoes of the inhabitants of these communities, and feel what they feel.
We spotted some small tents in the distance and we hurried to get there.

To our surprise, it was the Martha Machado brigade, led by the artist Alexis Leyva (Kcho), who had already almost completely recovered the rural school "Luis Augusto Turcios Lima".

The volunteers took advantage of a short break to rest some of them and bother the barber for others (look closely at the picture).

Tantos destrozos son duros de asimilar por nuestra mirada intrusa; sin embargo, siento que es imposible ponerme en la piel de los habitantes de estas comunidades, y sentir lo que ellos sienten.
Divisamos a los lejos unas casitas de campaña y apuramos el paso para llegar allí.
Para nuestra sorpresa, era la brigada Martha Machado, liderada por el artista Alexys Leyva (Kcho), que ya tenían recuperada casi totalmente la escuelita rural “Luis Augusto Turcios Lima”.
Los voluntarios aprovechaban un pequeño receso para descansar unos y molestar al barbero otros (fíjese detenidamente en la foto).

From an improvised carpentry shop, they called me to tell me that they were very happy to be able to help in that area and that in fact the brigade was distributed in several social works that were being rebuilt.

I will save what we saw later for another edition of the challenge #monomad, what do you think?

Hopefully the colomeros will soon be able to recover from the unpleasant event. I always think of them with positivity and optimism, just as they expressed that feeling.

Desde una improvisada carpintería, me llamaron para comentarme que sentían mucho regocijo de poder ayudar en esa zona y que de hecho la brigada estaba repartida en varias obras sociales que se estaban reconstruyendo.
Lo que vimos después se los guardo para otra edición del desafío #monomad, ¿qué les parece?
Ojalá que pronto los colomeros puedan recuperarse del desagradable suceso. Siempre pienso en ellos con positividad y optimismo, de la misma forma que ellos expresaron ese sentir.

All the images are my own and the separator used was made in Canva / Todas las imágenes son de mi autoría y el separador lo hice en Canva

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

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