Cuba offers model of how to plan for disaster

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Friday, September 9, 2005

Cuba offers model of how to plan for disaster

By SUSAN TAYLOR MARTIN
St. Petersburg Times

Before Hurricane Ivan whipped Cuba last year with 160 mph winds, the government evacuated nearly 2 million people. The result: not a single death or serious injury.

Although it is a small, poor country in the heart of hurricane alley, Cuba is widely acknowledged to do an exemplary job of protecting its 11.3 million residents from natural disasters. "Cuba has not only an evacuation plan but an overall plan for hurricanes and other disasters that is very well developed and organized," says Dusan Zupka of the United Nations' International Secretariat for Disaster Reduction.


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- In May, the entire country goes through a two-day hurricane drill, called Meteoro, that includes such practical measures as trimming tree limbs and checking for weaknesses in dams before a storm hits.
- All those living in high-risk areas are told beforehand where to take refuge - in sturdy homes on high ground or in group shelters, usually schools.
- Every shelter is stocked with food, water and medical supplies.
- When a hurricane threatens, Cuba mobilizes under National Civil Defense, which coordinates preparedness from the federal level on down.
- Radio and TV broadcast continual updates on the storm from the country's meteorology institute.

http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2005/09/09/sections/news/news/article_668473.php