Moa after Ike Hurricane

Text and photos: Amauris Betancourt.

amauris@radioangulo.icrt.cu

Moa, the youngest municipality of Holguín, puts up with remarkable damages as a direct consequence of the powerful Ike hurricane. The strong winds uprooted practically the vegetation of the city. Before Ike, it was just about difficult getting to see parts of the city from its avenues or from some places; now its buildings emerge on top of the standing vegetation's remains and its considerable volume makes the municipal capital city stands out clearly. Moa, known for its so important nickel production for the Cuban economy, has a mixed population, who arrived there from all the parts of the country to satisfy the needs of working hand in the chores of the metal production.
In addition to the population Moa once had, stemming from the former Soviet Union aiming at advising the chores of nickel extraction, it has added the nowadays Canadian advisers and university students, coming not only from almost the Island's all provinces but also from several countries.The hurricane Ike hit with a likewise strength this municipality, and brought about the same damages than in others, but less perceptible because they do not reach the level than in the municipalities of Antilla, Banes, Feyre and Gibara, all located in the northern coast of Holguín.

The manufacturing process of nickel got lightly affected but thanks to the miners’ endurance the production reaches slowly the same extent as before and will go on steady when the Commander Ernesto Guevara nickel factory starts over.