On Friday, the rumors heated up again for the third week in a row: Fidel Castro's death would be announced, first at 2 p.m., then at 4, then at 5.
For the past year, since the Cuban government announced that Fidel had ceded power to brother Raúl following intestinal surgery, rumors that he's on the brink of meeting his maker keep boiling over and dying down, creating a roller coaster of emotion for exiles and islanders.
This Friday, teary callers told Ninoska Pérez of Radio Mambà they were sure this was it, and Pérez, as usual, reminded ``The moment will come, but this is not the moment.''
At Aaction Home Health in Hialeah, office workers were abuzz because somebody from Cuba called a colleague to say folks in Havana were starting to take to the streets in anticipation of the news. At the University of Miami, media relations officers worked the phones in search of confirmation.
But once again, none of the rumors seemed to be panning out.
For many, waiting for proof has become like the low-grade anxiety that comes when you're bracing for a hurricane that may or may not hit. Even though it seems clear there won't be any real change on the island immediately after Castro's death, the exile community is holding its breath and preparing for something big nonetheless. Everyone knows whatever happens will be disruptive in some way. Or, at least, emotionally unhinging.
Most Miami-Dade Police departments have moved in to forced overtime, mandatory hold over on all shifts. Also just had a boat load of Cubans come ashore this afternoon on Miami Beach. Something unusual this time of year. Since most Cubans now enter over the border with Mexico, or are smuggled in boats in the during the night.
The question will be without Fidel, can the government survive? Will there be a mass exodus to Miami, or from Miami? When will airlines beable to begin service to the airports throughout the Island?
story here
For the past year, since the Cuban government announced that Fidel had ceded power to brother Raúl following intestinal surgery, rumors that he's on the brink of meeting his maker keep boiling over and dying down, creating a roller coaster of emotion for exiles and islanders.
This Friday, teary callers told Ninoska Pérez of Radio Mambà they were sure this was it, and Pérez, as usual, reminded ``The moment will come, but this is not the moment.''
At Aaction Home Health in Hialeah, office workers were abuzz because somebody from Cuba called a colleague to say folks in Havana were starting to take to the streets in anticipation of the news. At the University of Miami, media relations officers worked the phones in search of confirmation.
But once again, none of the rumors seemed to be panning out.
For many, waiting for proof has become like the low-grade anxiety that comes when you're bracing for a hurricane that may or may not hit. Even though it seems clear there won't be any real change on the island immediately after Castro's death, the exile community is holding its breath and preparing for something big nonetheless. Everyone knows whatever happens will be disruptive in some way. Or, at least, emotionally unhinging.
Most Miami-Dade Police departments have moved in to forced overtime, mandatory hold over on all shifts. Also just had a boat load of Cubans come ashore this afternoon on Miami Beach. Something unusual this time of year. Since most Cubans now enter over the border with Mexico, or are smuggled in boats in the during the night.
The question will be without Fidel, can the government survive? Will there be a mass exodus to Miami, or from Miami? When will airlines beable to begin service to the airports throughout the Island?
story here
