00:00The sounds of gunfire echo around a sports field in Havana.
00:05Civilians and military personnel are taking part in training exercises linked to the island's
00:11defence day, drilling in rifle assembly and using gas masks.
00:17Local defence commanders present their plans up the chain of command.
00:23Today, we completed the first stage here.
00:26From this point, based on the observations and recommendations we received, our job
00:32is to go deeper into our plans, correct what was flagged and keep preparing our leadership
00:37teams."
00:38National defence days are a long-held part of the communist island's security doctrine,
00:44designed to prepare state institutions and the wider population for everything from natural
00:49disasters to military invasion, and can take place several times a year.
00:55Friday's exercises were conducted under the shadow of threats from Donald Trump and an
01:00economic crisis that seems to deepen every week – something that isn't lost on local
01:06defence councils.
01:08We are working to strengthen food production, short-cycle crops and the restoration of the
01:13urban vegetable gardens in the area.
01:15We currently have three organic gardens being restored.
01:19Our agricultural strategy consists of allocating productive land to state entities, agencies and
01:25private individuals who have requested it."
01:29Plans that are unlikely to comfort residents struggling now.
01:33The fuel crisis has meant water pumps no longer work.
01:37It's been more than three days since the water has come in, and I'm hauling water.
01:41You saw the buckets and the tanks there.
01:43I'm in a bad way.
01:44I don't know what I'm going to do anymore.
01:45I'm at my breaking point."
01:48The search for water is now part of the daily routine for Cubans already suffering from blackouts
01:53and economic hardship with no end in sight.
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