(On with the Countdown: 358 Days to Go) Memoirs Book on Hurricane Sandy Launched

The launch of a book entitled The Longest Night, Memories of Hurricane Sandy made headlines in Santiago de Cuba as it was rolled out at the Windowpane Hall, Antonio Maceo Revolution Square.

Everybody knows the exasperating and traumatic hours suffered by the heroic city on the dawn of October 25, 2012. These hours have been narrated by different women and men from Santiago, and craftily handpicked by journalist and poet Reinaldo Cedeño Pineda.

Reinaldo Cedeño said that these chronicles, testimonies and poems take us closer to the consternation of that daybreak, the fact of not knowing where to begin, the first outbreaks, the anxiety to find shelter (…)
as well as the recuperative will and helping hands coming from the rest of the island and other geographies.

The reading this book, according to Master Mayrena Ruiz Medina, Head of the Defense Training Department, invites us to reflect on the pressing need to strengthen training activities to face possible disasters, so the leading organizations, decision-making figures and the people can get to know the risk perception and work to reduce vulnerabilities, according to the territory and the country as a whole.

Printed by Havana’s Federico Engels Graphic Arts Company, labeled by Ediciones Santiago, it counts 200 pages and, as an added value, includes 68 jaw-dropping images that leave no space for further explanations on those terrible days. The editor team was made up of Lina González on the edition, Marta Mosquera and José Antonio Limonta designing and Javier Laffita on the composition.

The launch was attended by most of the journalists that worked on it, as well as acclaimed artists, intellectuals and authorities of the city.