Nova Scotians who bring supplies to Cuba say cancelled flights will be devastating

Nova Scotians who have strong connections to Cuba say cancelled flights will be devastating to the people that live there.

On Jan. 29, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that placed new sanctions on countries that sell oil to Cuba. This effectively blockaded the fuel supply that powers the island's electrical grid, which has been in disrepair. Most of Cuba's oil came from Venezuela, but that source was cut off when its president was seized last month.

As a result, Cuba has run out of jet fuel and all commercial Canadian airlines are cancelling flights to the country. They're sending empty planes down to pick up passengers and bring them home.

Avelene Osmond of St. Peters, Cape Breton, has been visited Cuba for 17 years. She was there most recently a month ago. She works with an Ontario group called Together for Cuba, which brings medical supplies and food to the country.

"Every little bit helps. There's nothing that they don't need. They need everything. And I think they need our friendship as much as our support," Osmond told CBC Radio's Information Morning in an interview that aired Wednesday.

When she last visited in January, Osmond said she saw signs of the fuel shortages. She said her group brought 120 bags of things, but there wasn't enough fuel or time to distribute them.

"There's so many organizations that are willing to give these supplies for free and the planes are going down there empty and they could be bringing all this stuff down. I don't understand that. It's heartbreaking," she said.

Osmond said she knows a doctor in Cuba who can't access medication for her own family.

"If you're in the city where these people are living, it's terrible. There's garbage everywhere. There's no fuel to clean it up. It's just a breeding ground for disease, and that's what they're living with every day," Osmond said.

Gary Randall of Kentville, N.S., said he was supposed to fly out to Cuba this week. He told Information Morning he was bringing a suitcase full of supplies for a children's hospital in Holguin.

"From what we understand from knowing a doctor there, there's very little of anything there. Tylenol has been a big thing lately. They have another virus from a mosquito that leaves their bones aching after they get through the flu symptoms," Randall said.

"Anything solar is a really big benefit because generally they have around three hours of power a day. Canned food is a big thing because no refrigeration. You can't preserve anything now. If you were lucky enough to buy a piece of chicken, you have to eat it because you can't store it. There's not enough hours in the day of electricity. No electricity, no water."

Osmond said her loved ones in Cuba are heartbroken and scared.

"They are dying. They literally are dying of malnutrition. There are cases of scurvy again because they don't have the food that they need," Osmond said.