Search results for: building collapses

A Partial Collapse on Cuba Street Affects Dozens of Families in a Tenement in Havana

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 5 November 2023 —  This Sunday morning, the damage caused by the partial collapse that affected the property at number 103 Cuba Street, between Tacón and Tejadillo, in Old Havana, was visible to all. Yellow and black tape closed off the block where the tenement building fell in without any loss … Continue reading “A Partial Collapse on Cuba Street Affects Dozens of Families in a Tenement in Havana”

A Year After Hurricane Ian in Cuba, Thousands of Cubans Are Still Homeless in Pinar Del Rio

14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 27 September 2023 — Hurricane Ian, whose passage through Cuba happened a year ago this Wednesday, and which caused six deaths and significant material damage, continues to hit the population of Pinar del Río, the most affected by the hurricane. From the beginning, the Government made promises to rebuild the more than 102,000 … Continue reading “A Year After Hurricane Ian in Cuba, Thousands of Cubans Are Still Homeless in Pinar Del Rio”

Fallen Trees and Branches in Central Havana Almost Two Months After Hurricane Ian

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 17 November 2022 — Although Hurricane Ian crossed Cuba seven weeks ago, the neighbors of Cayo Hueso, in Havana, have already become accustomed to the collapses and walls stained by moisture. The gritty and grimy buildings, in addition to the potholes in the streets, were part of the landscape long … Continue reading “Fallen Trees and Branches in Central Havana Almost Two Months After Hurricane Ian”

The De-balconization of Havana

14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Generation Y, Havana, 18 June 2022 — A German academic was especially happy when his friends came to visit and he was able to give them an insightful tour of Berlin. The history of the gradual loss of the balconies suffered by the area of ​​the city that had come under communist … Continue reading “The De-balconization of Havana”

The ‘Guillotine’ of Monte Avenue Threatens to Behead Passersby

14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 21 December 2021 — Elderly people who go to buy bread in a nearby store, customers of an adjoining shop, students coming or going from school on the popular and central Monte Avenue at the top of Águila Street, all are among the potential victims of the ‘guillotine’. Neighbors have … Continue reading “The ‘Guillotine’ of Monte Avenue Threatens to Behead Passersby”

Tips to Tourists to See the Harsh Reality in the Cuban Paradise

14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 20 November 2021 — I like the complicity of my terrace, especially at that time when I don’t know if it’s day or night, and the city wakes up smelling of the sea and freshly brewed coffee. In front of me the Capitol is projected with its golden dome and its monumental … Continue reading “Tips to Tourists to See the Harsh Reality in the Cuban Paradise”

‘I Don’t Sleep Much for Fear that a Piece of the Roof is Going to Fall on Me’

América de Jesús Prada bent over and over again to fill  the water bottles that she had placed in front of two other ladies’ buckets that were also full of water. The building’s cistern has been dry for almost a month, and when they bring the tanker truck that supplies them, they have to rush … Continue reading “‘I Don’t Sleep Much for Fear that a Piece of the Roof is Going to Fall on Me’”

Almost 20 Years Waiting for the Architects to Avoid a Disaster in Central Havana

14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 29 October 2021 — Peeling walls, cracks in the ceilings of several apartments and, above all, structural cracks keep the 21 families who live in a building on San Nicolás street near the corner with Salud, in Central Havana, in suspense. “This building was built in 1948 and has never … Continue reading “Almost 20 Years Waiting for the Architects to Avoid a Disaster in Central Havana”

Architects Working ‘Under the Table’ are Called Party Decorators in Cuba

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 24 February 2021 — Since the Cuban Government released the news that Architecture is among the 124 activities that individuals are prohibited from engaging in privately, the profession has not stopped looking for spaces to express its discontent, sometimes from pessimism and disenchantment, other times from searching for solutions. After two … Continue reading “Architects Working ‘Under the Table’ are Called Party Decorators in Cuba”

The Survivors of the Cuarteles Street Tenements in Old Havana Speak Out

14ymedio, Eustaquio García, Havana, 16 January 2021 — Residents on Cuarteles Street, located in Old Havana, do not know what it means to have a decent home. The so-called ciudadelas [tenements] located on this road, one of the oldest in the capital, suffer continuous collapses, but its inhabitants have never been able to leave some of … Continue reading “The Survivors of the Cuarteles Street Tenements in Old Havana Speak Out”

Flood Victims in Majagua Denounce Cuban Government’s Mismanagement of a Dam

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 13 November 2020 — After the waters fell in the Ciego de Ávila municipality of Majagua it seemed that the worst had passed, but no. Wednesday and Thursday arrived and all people could do was put what little had survived the floods out in the sun, the mattresses, the furniture, the … Continue reading “Flood Victims in Majagua Denounce Cuban Government’s Mismanagement of a Dam”

Condemned to Live Among the Ruins

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 3 February 2020 — The “route” of the deterioration starts at any corner in Havana. If a map of the city marked with red dots the cornices about to fall, the broken balconies, the cracked columns, the map would look like it had the measles. An intense rash would cover Centro … Continue reading “Condemned to Live Among the Ruins”

Streets Turned to Rivers in Trinidad

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 9 October 2019 — The streets have become rivers in Trinidad this week. Although October is traditionally the wettest month of the year in Cuba, the first week has left shocking images. The colonial historic center, which has a terrible infrastructure to channel the water, is collapsed by rainfall that, on … Continue reading “Streets Turned to Rivers in Trinidad”

Havana Tornado Victims Disagree with Government’s Triumphalist Accounting

14ymedio, Havana, 30 July 2019 —  Six months after the tornado that hit Havana, the authorities say they have resolved 95% of the damages suffered by the housing stock. This accounting, however, hides the drama of hundreds of families who suffered the total loss of their homes and for whom housing remains unresolved. Of the 1,068 homes … Continue reading “Havana Tornado Victims Disagree with Government’s Triumphalist Accounting”

Thousands of People Need Urgent Help in Havana (and the Names of the Deceased) / Ivan Garcia

Iván García, 2 February 2019 — “An organized society, a planned economy, a socialist government, will always have reserves so that no one is left homeless,” President Miguel Diaz-Canel wrote in his Twitter account. Nobody in Cuba is left homeless after a natural catastrophe, tragic accident or serious illness, said Fidel and Raul Castro in the … Continue reading “Thousands of People Need Urgent Help in Havana (and the Names of the Deceased) / Ivan Garcia”