Container Homes Emerge as a Temporary Solution for Hurricane Óscar Victims in Guantánamo

The Cuban government is pushing forward with the construction of makeshift homes using metal containers in Buena Vista, a community in San Antonio del Sur, Guantánamo. These iron houses have raised concerns due to Cuba's hot climate, as they could easily turn into virtual ovens. These structures are intended to house families displaced by Hurricane Óscar, which struck eastern Cuba in October 2024, damaging over 13,000 homes.

On September 22, Major General Ramón Pardo Guerra, head of the National Civil Defense Staff, toured the area with local authorities to inspect progress on this controversial housing initiative, which the regime claims is only "temporary." Earlier in September, Venceremos reported that 23 recycled containers from a nearby solar park under construction will be installed on the site, as part of a project aiming for a total of 60 units. These containers are being converted into homes with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room.

Although the government initially stated that two modules would be completed daily, images suggest the project is moving slower than anticipated, possibly prompting the General's visit. The adaptation of these containers is managed by several state-owned companies under the coordination of the business unit Génedis, alongside Muebles Imperio, Valbo, Cedai, the Provincial Housing Directorate, and the Ministry of Construction (Micons).

Urgent Measures Amid Structural Crisis

Yoel Pérez García, the First Secretary of the Communist Party in Guantánamo, urged the acceleration of construction and emphasized the need to "maximize" the use of the metal structure of the modules, which are protected against corrosion with layers of paint.

While using containers as homes is not new globally, in developed countries, this practice is usually coupled with livability standards, urban planning permissions, and thermal insulation systems, all of which are lacking in Cuba. In a climate where temperatures often exceed 30 degrees Celsius and can reach 35 or higher, living in a metal box without proper insulation poses serious health risks, particularly for children and the elderly. The lack of efficient ventilation could render these structures uninhabitable ovens.

A Temporary Fix for Housing Collapse

Despite the potential for anti-thermal solutions and elevated roofs to alleviate some issues, these require investments that the state seems unable to make amid a severe resource crisis. Hurricane Óscar left a trail of devastation in Guantánamo, with roofs torn off, homes collapsed, fallen power lines, and flooding. By late November 2024, only 8% of the over 13,000 damaged homes had been repaired, and most fixes were partial roof repairs.

In contrast, the government prioritized the repair of state facilities. Of the 700 damaged, 525 were completed (75%), and resources were available for 97 more. This push for container homes is part of a growing trend in several Cuban provinces like Holguín, Las Tunas, and Villa Clara, promoting "alternative" constructions in response to the collapse of the materials industry and the state's inability to implement sustainable housing plans.

In Las Tunas, for instance, more than 10,000 families still live on dirt floors. Meanwhile, Villa Clara experiments with homes built entirely without cement and steel, and Pinar del Río revisits ancient techniques of building with earth and lime. The continuous decline in housing construction in Cuba is one of the clearest indicators of the country's economic crisis. In 2024, fewer homes were built than during the harshest years of the Special Period, with the housing deficit now exceeding 800,000 units.

The initiative in San Antonio del Sur, touted as an "innovative solution," remains another temporary fix that highlights the lack of structural responses to a problem affecting hundreds of thousands of Cubans.