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September 13, 2005
Sun-Sentinel: Look at Cuba
Cuba, one of the most hurricane-striken Caribbean islands prepares seriously for hurricanes. Abundant and precise information is given before hand. The forecast is somehow “excellent”. The pyramidal structure organizes evacuation to shelters staffed with doctors, nurses, and psychiatrists. People obey the evacuation orders. So much so that South Florida’s Sun-Sentinel writes:
Now, as analysts and politicians examine how the U.S. government responded to Hurricane Katrina -- and perhaps avoid a similar catastrophe in the future -- some say this communist island may have a few lessons to offer.
The Sun-Sentinel quotes Dan Erikson, Caribbean specialist at the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington think tank, for whom:
"It's still a police state. You could say one advantage they may have is the ability to move large numbers of people in a short amount of time. But of course the political environment in Cuba makes it difficult to resist those kinds of orders."
Nevertheless the daily points out that:
Cubans have weathered some of the most violent storms the tropics can churn up, with surprisingly low death tolls and almost perfect compliance with evacuation orders.Last year, United Nations emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland singled out Cuba for praise among Caribbean nations for hurricane-evacuation planning. When Hurricane Ivan swiped the island last September, for example, Cuba didn't record a single death, while 115 people died in other parts of the region. The same month, Hurricane Jeanne killed more than 1,500 in Haiti, with many drowning in floodwaters.
Posted September 13, 2005 12:01 AM
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