Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 5 OcTOber 2017
US travel warning troubles Cuba’s businesses Puerto Rico:

By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ her parents and two chil- diplomats to protest Ha- Mental health concerns up in
Associated Press dren. They all sold other vana’s failure to protect
American envoys from the aftermath of hurricane Maria
HAVANA (AP) — A U.S. properties and sought ad-
State Department travel ditional financial back- attacks, which have not
warning for Cuba follow- ing from a friend who lives been explained. By MICHAEL MELIA aftermath of the hurricane,
ing mysterious attacks that overseas, and two years The United States has not DANICA COTO including some who died
harmed nearly two dozen ago bought a rickety co- accused Cuba of being Associated Press because oxygen could not
American diplomats has lonial home steps from the behind the attacks. Presi- SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) be delivered amid power
come like a bucket of cold Bay of Havana. dent Raul Castro’s govern- — Locked out of his home outages. There were also
and with nowhere else to two suicides, but Rossello
go, Wilfredo Ortiz Marrero did not provide details of
rode out Hurricane Ma- those.
ria inside a Jeep, which One elderly woman took
was lifted off its wheels by her own life Sunday inside
floodwaters in the parking a nursing home in Rio Pie-
lot. He then endured days dras, a San Juan suburb.
without enough food or While the facility’s director,
running water. Maria Betancourt, said she
The lights are back on at his didn’t believe the woman
residence for low-income was distressed about the
elderly people in the San storm, the home was stifling
Juan suburb of Trujillo Alta, hot on Wednesday after
and food has started ar- power was wiped out near-
riving, but he still waits as ly a month ago when Hur-
long as he can each night ricane Irma sideswiped the
to leave the company of island on Sept. 7, though
others in the lobby. Alone a generator has kept the
in his room, he sometimes lights on. Outside the home
starts to shake.“You get there were piles of garbage
really depressed,” he said and fallen tree limbs piled
Wednesday. on the side of the road.
A waitress at a private restaurant waits for customers in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. The hurricane that pum- Ortiz and other residents
Thousands of private Cuban businesses have invested heavily in private homes, cars and restau- meled Puerto Rico two of the low-income housing
rants, hoping to cash in on an expected wave of American travelers to the island. Now that the weeks ago and the scar- residence in Trujillo Alta said
U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning for the country, their investments are at risk. city-marked aftermath are the building administra-
(AP Photo/Desmond Boylan) taking a toll on islanders’ tion ordered them to leave
water for the aspirations of Today it has been spruced ment has disavowed any equilibrium. The U.S. terri- ahead of Hurricane Maria,
thousands of private entre- up and reborn as the Mi culpability and called the tory’s government count- saying the building wasn’t
preneurs on the island. Tierra (My Land) hostel, U.S. response “reckless,” ed two suicides among equipped to weather the
Amid a sudden diplomatic whose polished vintage ‘’hasty” and politically mo- the death toll, which now storm. Some were picked
thaw between the Cold floors, warm pastel walls, tivated. stands at 34, and with many up by family, but Ortiz had
War foes that began in republican-era furniture Tourism is an important communities still waiting for no relatives to come get
2014, many Cubans in- and modern air condition- source of badly needed power and clean water, him and had no choice
vested heavily in privately ing make for attractive foreign currency for Cuba, there is concern about oth- but to stay in his Jeep un-
run restaurants, homestay and affordable digs at just one of a handful of key ers reaching a breaking til the storm subsided and
B&Bs and cars to operate $35 a night per person plus sectors that keep its weak point.Students and staff at a chain on the building’s
as taxi cabs in hopes of $5 more for breakfast. economy sputtering along. Ponce Health Sciences Uni- door was removed.
cashing in on an expected Mi Tierra opened its doors Last year about 4 million versity are visiting shelters Another resident, Felix Man-
boom of American tourists. about two months ago travelers visited the island, and people in the hardest- uel Lopez, a 73-year-old
But now entrepreneurs and has received mostly according to government hit communities to provide U.S. Army veteran, said he
worry Americans will be European travelers so far, statistics. That included psychological help, among has seen a Veterans Affairs
frightened away — even but it’s Americans that Es- 281,000 Americans, up other services, said Alex counselor to help with anxi-
though there has been tanque truly has in mind from just 91,000 in 2014. Ruiz, special assistant to the ety that came back after
no word of any tourists af- long-term. There were also 400,000 vis- university’s president. he returned from a shelter
fected. “American tourists con- its last year by Cubans liv- “People’s whole worlds to his darkened apartment.
Nowhere are such fears sume a lot and leave good ing overseas, the vast ma- were taken from them,” he “Everybody’s drained,”
more pronounced than in tips,” said Estanque, who jority of whom reside in the said. “People will need the said Ruiz, the Ponce univer-
Old Havana, where many speaks English and uses it United States.U.S. tourism proper psychological help sity official, who recently
Cubans bought into a hot with guests to make them to Cuba is still small com- to get through this.” toured the city on the is-
real estate market as part feel welcome. “Now there pared with the numbers al- At a news conference on land’s southern coast to as-
of a proliferation of B&Bs is going to be a lot of sup- ready coming from Cana- Wednesday, Gov. Ricardo sess people’s needs. “Spirits
catering to the hordes of ply, but relatively little de- da, Europe and elsewhere. Rossello said the death toll have been broken.”
tourists who stroll its cobble- mand.” But analysts have predict- jumped to 34 from 16 on On Wednesday, the gov-
stoned streets each day. In addition to the travel ed that if the U.S. embargo the basis of a report that ernor said power has been
“We got to work opening warning announced Fri- on Cuba were to be lifted he commissioned to con- restored to 8.6 percent
businesses, bars, restau- day, the State Department entirely, 1 million or more sult with hospitals and gain of Puerto Rico’s custom-
rants, rental homes, and also said it was reducing American travelers could a more complete picture ers and the government
many people invested ev- by about 60 percent its inundate the island on an of the number of victims. is hoping to have power
erything we had, and even diplomatic staff at the U.S. annual basis. He said 20 deaths resulted back on for 25 percent
borrowed,” said Yunaika Embassy in Havana and in- It’s too early to tell how sig- directly from the storm, in- within a month. Power is
Estanque, the 51-year-old definitely suspending visa nificantly American tour- cluding drownings and being restored at hospitals,
owner of a three-room hos- processing in Cuba. On ists may be discouraged those killed in mudslides. and he said the govern-
tel. Tuesday, Washington went by the State Department The count also includes sick ment is looking into which
Estanque partnered with further, expelling 15 Cuban warning.q and elderly who died in the schools can reopen. q