Hurricane Melissa Has Passed, but Cuba’s Crisis Is Far From Over
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Hurricane Melissa, the most powerful storm of the year across the globe, has left Cuba in yet another state of crisis. Though no official deaths have been reported, the full toll remains uncertain. In disasters like this, “invisible” deaths often follow among the elderly, isolated, or unaccounted for. With recovery efforts only just beginning, the tragedy in Cuba is far from over.
Many credit the evacuation of 735,000 Cubans, equivalent to 25 percent of the local population, with saving lives. Yet the scale of destruction is immense: 20,000 people remain evacuated, 54,000 displaced, and 2.2 million are in need of assistance.
According to United Nations (UN) assessments, the damage spans every facet of life for Cubans living on the eastern side of the island:
Housing: Over 90,000 homes were damaged, with hundreds completely submerged following intense rainfall that triggered flooding and landslides in Holguín and Granma.
Health: More than 600 health institutions reported damages, including the loss of vital medical equipment.
Education: At least half of the schools in the 29 most affected municipalities sustained damage, leaving more than 670,000 students out of class.
Telecommunications: 75 percent of mobile phone services and up to 90 percent of radio base stations in eastern Cuba remain offline.
Electricity: The restoration of electricity is close to fully restored in Las Tunas, Holguín, and 58.7 percent has been restored in Guantánamo. However, only 34 percent has been restored in Santiago de Cuba, leaving thousands of families without electricity.
Agriculture: More than 78,700 hectares of farmland were destroyed or severely affected.
In response, the UN released a Plan of Action that requires $74.2 million in funding to support one million people in need of assistance in the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, and Guantánamo. The largest portion of this money, if secured, will be directed toward food security and nutrition. So far, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has mobilized $2.2 million.
The U.S. Department of State also authorized $3 million in assistance, channeled through the Catholic Church, a gesture for which Cuba thanked the US in an uncommon display of goodwill amid otherwise tense bilateral relations. Mike Hammer, the top U.S. diplomat in Cuba, has already met with Eastern Bishops to coordinate the distribution of aid.
Cuba’s crisis is far from over. Apart from the hurricane, nearly half the island experienced blackouts on November 9, followed by nationwide outages on November 12. Torrential rains over the weekend caused fresh flooding and new evacuations in Moa, Sagua de Tánamo, and Holguín. For many Cubans, recovery from Hurricane Oscar in October of 2024 was still in progress when Melissa struck. As Cuba’s government admitted, “much remains to be done for the people to return to their daily lives.”
CEDA continues to monitor the situation. Please consider supporting the following organizations that are on the ground helping Cubans:
Caritas Cuba is providing essential supplies in Holguín, Santiago de Cuba, and Bayamo, and coordinating aid from other provinces. You can learn more about their work and make a contribution here.
MEDICC and Global Links are working together to rush essential medical supplies to health care providers dedicated to caring for newborns, women, the elderly and their families in Cuba. Your support can help them deliver emergency medical backpacks to primary care providers. You can donate here.
Caribbean Agroecology Institute (CAI) is working directly with community partners in the eastern provinces of Cuba to get relief and recovery supplies to farming families in need. You can make a donation to CAI here.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is supporting the Jamaica Red Cross in efforts to provide emergency shelter, food, clean water, and cash assistance to the 1.9 million people affected. You can donate to IFRC Jamaica here.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is supporting the Cuban Red Cross in providing emergency shelter, safe water, health and psychosocial support, while working to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Urgent help is needed to reach more families. You can donate to IFRC Cuba here.
This week in Cuba news…
27 Countries Send Aid to Cuba
According to Cuban News Agency (ACN), 27 countries have provided humanitarian aid to Cuba in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. Venezuela sent 5,000 tons of aid on November 11, adding to the 26,000 tons it sent during the immediate aftermath, which Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel described as “a demonstration of the solid brotherhood” between the two nations. Additionally, Venezuela dispatched 22 specialists in electricity, transportation, and public works to support the recovery efforts.
Colombia contributed 246 tons of humanitarian aid, including food, hygiene products, mosquito nets, milk, water, and fuel. The Dominican Republic completed a shipment containing food, medicine, and other basic hygiene items. Belize sent $200,000 to support humanitarian relief. China donated five thousand photovoltaic panel kits for isolated homes affected by the hurricane, while Japan announced the provision of “emergency relief goods” such as blankets, sleeping pads, and water purifiers.
While the aid offers vital short-term relief, years of economic hardship, U.S. sanctions, and strained infrastructure have left the country with limited capacity to rebuild, and Cuba’s government has shown little will to engage in the necessary reforms.
Cuba’s Former Economy Minister Charged with Espionage and Financial Crimes
As Cuba reels from the devastation of Hurricane Melissa, the government has revived a long-dormant criminal case against former Minister of Economy and Planning Alejandro Gil Fernández, once considered President Díaz-Canel’s right-hand man. Gil, who led several of Cuba’s most significant but controversial economic reforms, is now accused of espionage and a string of financial crimes following a two-year investigation by the Ministry of the Interior.
An official statement from Cuba’s Attorney General’s Office, released on October 31, charged Gil with espionage, embezzlement, bribery, tax evasion, money laundering, falsification of public documents, and the theft and damage of official materials, among other crimes. The announcement came just as Cubans began the struggle to recover from Hurricane Melissa, leading many to question why such explosive allegations were made public now, after more than a year of silence.
Gil was abruptly dismissed in February 2024 for committing “grave errors” during his tenure, but no details were given at the time. His sister, María Victoria Gil, later confirmed that he was detained, while his daughter, Laura María Gil, publicly called for a transparent and televised trial.
The People's Supreme Court announced that Gil’s trial began on November 11 and was held privately for “national security reasons” after his daughter’s demand for a public trial was denied by the court. His trial ended on November 13 but no verdict has yet been released. Under Cuba’s Penal Code, espionage carries penalties ranging from ten years in prison to the death penalty.
Chikungunya, Oropouche, and Dengue Fever Spread Across Cuba
Nearly one-third of Cubans have been impacted by a rise in mosquito-borne illnesses, attributable to the rainy, hot weather in Cuba but exacerbated the systemic lack of public health infrastructure and resources.
Oropouche virus has emerged as an additional public health burden this year, further stretching Cuba’s already strained disease-control capacity. As of November 7, PAHO reported 4,119 locally-acquired cases, making Cuba one of the countries most affected by the regional rise in Oropouche infections. The virus is transmitted by biting midges and mosquitoes and has no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment. Cuba’s Director of Epidemiology, Francisco Durán, noted that Hurricane Melissa may have temporarily reduced mosquito breeding grounds in eastern Cuba, but noted that increased rainfall and debris will soon reverse that effect.
Chikungunya, once rare in Cuba, has spread rapidly this year. As of October 24, there have been 4,472 reported cases in 2025 according to WHO/PAHO data. Zero cases were reported in 2024. In Florida, 42 travel-related Chikungunya cases have been reported so far in 2025, compared to 88 across the US.
Health officials have also reported a surge in dengue fever concentrated primarily in the island’s northern and central regions, with Matanzas experiencing the highest transmission rates. The widespread nature of the outbreak is reflected in national estimates that at least 30 percent of the population has had dengue or chikungunya at some point. Dengue has long circulated in Cuba, but deteriorating sanitation infrastructure has created more favorable conditions for mosquito breeding.
Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health has tried to downplay the situation saying these diseases are “neither new, nor rare, nor unknown,” and Director Durán has denied that there were any deaths due to the illnesses. The situation underscores the immense strain on Cuba’s public health system as it struggles to manage overlapping crises—from disaster recovery and deepening economic hardship to emerging infectious diseases—made even more challenging by severe shortages in health and social-care workers and a rapidly aging population.
U.S. Travel Ban on Cuba Impacts Family Reunification Cases
President Donald Trump’s June 9 partial travel ban restricting Cubans from entering the US is separating Cuban American families and deepening political divides in Florida. The travel ban has led to a surge in visa denials for Cubans seeking to reunite with relatives in the US, even for children and long-pending family petitions, leaving many families in limbo. The Cuban community in Miami has organized two protests to raise awareness for family separations and to urge a review of the travel ban.
The crackdown comes amid broader hard-line immigration measures during President Trump’s second term, leaving over 500,000 Cubans in the US vulnerable to deportation and sharply limiting new entries.
Cuba Completes First Phase of China-Funded Solar Project
Cuba has completed the first phase of a major solar energy project funded by China, connecting the Martires de Barbados II photovoltaic park to the national grid per Cuba’s Granma newspaper. This initial stage includes seven parks, each expected to total 8,000 MWh annually. According to officials, the new capacity will save roughly 18,000 tons of imported fuel per year and help ease power shortages. Chinese ambassador Hua Xin applauded the project on X and thanked President Díaz-Canel for attending the inauguration of the solar park, emphasizing its significance in deepening relations between the two nations. The second phase of the project is already in progress and will add another 85 MW. Cuba expects these new facilities to come online in early 2026.
Despite these announcements, Cuba continues to face a significant electricity deficit. Six of the country’s sixteen thermoelectric units are offline due to breakdowns or maintenance, and hundreds of megawatts remain unavailable because of fuel shortages and equipment failures. As a result, authorities project a deficit of more than 1,100 MW during peak hours.
Cuba’s Government Accuses El Toque of Distorting Informal Exchange Rate
Cuba’s government has launched a social media campaign against El Toque, accusing the digital outlet of manipulating the country’s informal exchange rate. The allegations came after Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla criticized the outlet during a UN speech in late October, claiming its reporting fuels economic instability as the peso rapidly depreciates.
On November 13, Granma published an article alleging El Toque receives funding from U.S. sources and argued that the platform’s daily exchange-rate estimates distort market expectations. Cuba's government also accused El Toque of biased reporting in 2024, releasing an article on state-owned media outlet Razones de Cuba titled “El Toque and the financial terrorism against the Cubans.” Cuba’s government continues to assert that the informal rate—which has swung sharply in recent weeks—is artificially influenced rather than driven by underlying economic conditions.
Editor-in-chief José Jasán Nieves told Reuters that the outlet receives grants from the U.S. State Department “to promote access to information in Cuba and to support the U.S. embassy in Havana in implementing public diplomacy programs” but denied that the funding biases El Toque’s reporting. The State Department also denied Cuba’s claims.
The informal exchange rate published by El Toque, which recently hovered around 460 pesos per dollar, has become a widely used reference point in a heavily dollarized economy where official exchange mechanisms are limited. Cuban economist Pável Vidal published a paper in collaboration with El Toque in 2023, detailing the novel methodology for calculating this rate.
Tourism in Cuba Continues to Drop in 2025
Cuba’s National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) reported that the island experienced a 20.5 percent decrease in tourists from January to September compared with the same period in 2024. While still significant, this reflects a slight improvement from the January–June 2025 figures, which showed a 25 percent decline.
Canada, Russia, and the US continue to be the largest sources of tourists in 2025, but all three have shown a decline compared to 2024. Canadian tourism decreased by 19.5 percent, U.S. tourism decreased by 19.6 percent, and Russian tourism decreased by 37.2 percent. Similarly, visits by Cubans residing abroad, the second largest source of visitors, have decreased by 20.7 percent.
Ukraine Closes Embassy in Havana and Reduces Diplomatic Ties with Cuba
On October 29, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha, announced that Ukraine will reduce diplomatic ties with Cuba due to Havana’s continued alignment with Russia, particularly in the context of the war in Ukraine. Minister Sybiha stated that Cuba has “repeatedly demonstrated solidarity with Russia,” citing its voting record and public statements supporting Moscow’s positions. The move follows Ukraine’s recent vote at the United Nations against a resolution condemning the U.S. embargo on Cuba.
As part of this diplomatic downgrade, Ukraine has closed its embassy in Havana. Minister Sybiha emphasized that the decision is directed at the Cuban government, not the Cuban people, and comes in response to Cuba’s failure to act on reports of Cuban nationals being recruited to fight for Russia. Cuban authorities have denied any involvement in or sanctioning of such recruitment efforts. The rupture marks a significant diplomatic shift, further isolating Cuba internationally.
Gender-Based Violence Claimed 40 Women’s Lives in Cuba in 2025
Feminist Platform Yo Si Te Creo En Cuba (YSTCC) and Alas Tensas (OGAT) have confirmed 40 cases of femicide in Cuba so far in 2025. The most recent case is of Liena de la Caridad Reinoso Ramos, a 23-year-old woman, who was murdered by her ex-partner on November 6. The attack occurred in the La Conchita neighborhood in the middle of a public street with several neighbors as witnesses.
Advocacy organizations in Cuba remain deeply concerned due to the lack of institutional response to gender-based violence (GBV), the absence of femicide as a specific crime in the Cuban Penal Code, and the lack of protocols to refer cases to the legal system. Alas Tensas and Yo Si Te Creo lead the calls for justice for Liena and all survivors of GBV in Cuba.
Recommended Reading, Viewing, Events:
Read | The Guardian: Climate crisis means super-strength Hurricane Melissa is ‘dangerous new reality’
Read | The Conversation: Why hurricanes rarely kill in Cuba
Read | El País: Cuba, the thorn in the side of US-Mexico relations
Read | Science & Diplomacy: Fostering Innovation Through Science Diplomacy: The Cuba–U.S. Collaborative Network in Ataxia Research
Read | Foreign Policy: With Military Buildup Against Venezuela, the U.S. Eyes Cuba as Well
Read | The New York Times: A Look Into the Early Days of Migrant Detentions at Guantánamo
Read | The New York Times: Wifredo Lam: Artist-Poet of Tropical Dreams and Sorrows
