The protest in Central Havana has kept Reina Street closed after a building partially collapsed Monday morning. The incident left 15 families homeless and deepened tensions with local authorities, who offered no immediate solutions.
Collapse on Reina Street
The collapse occurred around 6:30 a.m. on August 18. A third-floor room collapsed onto the second level of the building located on Reina Street, between Manrique and San Nicolás. Neighbors reported that the structure had been in poor condition for years.
Magaly, 75, was the only seriously injured. According to witnesses, other residents helped her out and managed to get her to a nearby hospital. The rest of the affected families took what they could from their homes: mattresses, furniture, clothing, and some appliances. Since then, they have been sleeping on the sidewalk.
Neighbors without answers or water
The victims claim that municipal officials arrived in the early hours but left without offering a concrete solution. They were told there were no relocation sites available and that they would have to wait. Since then, about 50 people have been left homeless, unable to cook, bathe, or rest under a roof.
The lack of water worsened the situation. Residents went several days without access to the water supply, and in the midst of the protest, the government sent water trucks. However, they explain that it was merely a palliative measure and not a structural solution.
"Where are they going to send us, to the countryside? I'm not going to the countryside because I'm starving. Why don't they send us to the Lincoln Hotel, which is empty?" one of the affected women asked while blocking traffic on Reina Street.
A structural problem
The protest in Central Havana is not an isolated incident. Collapses have become frequent in the Cuban capital. The combination of humidity, lack of maintenance, and decades of lack of investment in infrastructure has left thousands of families living in buildings at risk of collapse.
According to human rights organizations and independent media, dozens of homes collapse in Havana each year. In many cases, those affected spend months or even years waiting for a permanent solution.
The demand for drinking water is also common. In several neighborhoods, residents rely on tanker trucks or water trucks that arrive irregularly. On hot days, getting a few buckets of water becomes a daily ordeal.
Street blockade and protests
Faced with a lack of response, the victims decided to block Reina Street. They placed their belongings in the middle of the road and remained there overnight, in protest. Despite the police presence, no major incidents occurred, and tensions remained calm.
The protesters are repeating the same message: they are demanding decent housing and stable access to water. Some expressed their willingness to be moved to temporary shelters, but only if they are guaranteed safety and minimum hygiene conditions.
The image of a city in crisis
The image of mattresses thrown into the street, neighbors cooking in the open air, and children playing among the rubble reflects the magnitude of the housing crisis in Havana. The protest also highlights the state's lack of response capacity to emergencies that are increasingly recurring.
In Uruguay or Argentina, a street closure due to a lack of water generates immediate media coverage and political pressure. In Cuba, however, the voices of residents are often limited to alternative media and social media.
The protest in Central Havana is, in short, a reflection of the daily life of thousands of families trying to survive amidst crumbling buildings and intermittent basic services.
