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23 September 2002 Xavier Castellanos in Havana, Cuba As Hurricane Isidore passed over southwestern Cuba this past weekend, Cuban authorities implemented emergency procedures to evacuate 280,000 people to safety. No loss of life was reported, but many homes and farms have been damaged. "The hurricane destroyed everything I have, but at least we are alive," said a woman in the municipality of San Juan y Martinez, in Piñar del Rio province, southwest Cuba, whilst showing the local media the shattered remains of her house. Hers is one of many similar stories following the passage of Hurricane Isidore on 20 September which destroyed and damaged houses and farms, but did not take any human lives thanks to Cuba's well-organized disaster preparedness and response systems. As soon as news of the hurricane was received, Cuban Civil Defense authorities launched emergency procedures, including phases of warning, alarm, emergency and recuperation –all aimed at saving lives– and 280,000 people were evacuated from their homes in the hours before Isidore made landfall on Cuban territory. Cubans have understood the need to follow emergency procedures closely when hurricanes threaten to unleash their full force onto the country. Just 10 months ago, only five people died when Hurricane Michelle passed over Cuba, showing how Cubans' take heed of emergency response procedures. The country's high state of preparedness during the emergency phase of a natural disaster in Cuba means that, when they occur, they are not sensational and dramatic events as sometimes seen in media reports of catastrophes in other countries. Although Hurricane Isidore was destructive, the most notable characteristic of the Cuban response was the implementation of a set of well-organized emergency procedures ensuring rapid and orderly evacuations from high-risk areas. These procedures involve much more than just saving human lives, more than 60,000 head of cattle were evacuated to higher ground and many greenhouses used for vegetable cultivation were dismantled to avoid loss or damage to their expensive structures. "We lost the tomato and cucumber crops, but in one or two months we will be able to recover those losses, because the greenhouse structures are safe," commented a government official. Damage and needs assessment in the areas affected by Isidore will take several days to clear roads of debris and gain access to severely-flooded areas. The main objectives of avoiding loss of human life in the most directly threatened areas, and if time allowed, to save farm animals were achieved. The next phase, recuperation, will begin once the rains have stopped, and will take a longer time. A needs assessment exercise, to be carried out by the Civil Defense with assistance from the Cuban Red Cross, will help government authorities define the number of families affected and what they need to return to a normal life. Meanwhile, members of the Cuban Red Cross national intervention team were very active in the island's southwestern region, supporting local authorities with the mass evacuations and in search and rescue and damage assessment, and providing psychological support to families in shelters. The media and volunteers have played a significant role in informing people of developments before, during, and after the impact of the hurricane. "The real Red Cross work will be seen in the coming days," said Dr. Luis Foyo, secretary general of the Cuban Red Cross. "Up to the present we are following standard emergency response procedures, and, later on, based on identified needs, we will be able to determine the Red Cross capacity to support the efforts of the authorities," he added. Related Links: Information bulletin: Hurricane Isidore 20 September 2002 - Cuba on alert for Hurricane Isidore 19 September 2002 - Tropical Storm Isidore heading for Cuba 16 November 2001 - After Michelle - thousands still in Cuban shelters 04 November 2001 - 590,000 People evacuated as Hurricane Michelle heads for Cuba More on: Cuba |
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