2005-10-28,+Wilma+claims+no+lives+on+Cuba

= Wilma claims no lives on well-prepared Cuba =

Castro's island people are taught how to cope in disasters

The Star, Johannesburg, October 27, 2005

By Vanessa Arrington

Havana - Dozens of city blocks in the Cuban capital were immersed in sea water after Hurricane Wilma swept past en route to Florida - but not a single death was reported.

Around the Caribbean, Wilma was blamed for at least 22 deaths - five in Florida, 12 in Haiti, at least four in Mexico and one in Jamaica.

Part of the country's fortune could be because Wilma never made landfall here, but many credit the fact that people are instructed from an early age on moving quickly during disaster.

The United Nations has long praised Cuba's record in preserving lives during hurricanes that regularly batter the island. When a tropical storm starts brewing in the Caribbean, a well-oiled hurricane-response machine clicks on in Cuba.

First there's the informative phase, in which state-run media broadcast frequent announcements about the storm's movement. Jose Rubiera, head of Cuba's National Meteorology Institute, starts making TV appearances, contributing to his near-celebrity status.

If asked on the street, most Cubans can recite the storm's co-ordinates and projected route.

Next comes the alert phase, informing Cubans that a hurricane hit is probable and to prepare for possible evacuation.

The third phase is alarm, and evacuations begin. Mandatory and rarely defied, they are a regular part of life for Cubans, especially those in coastal areas prone to flooding. In the days before Wilma passed by, about 700 000 people were evacuated in this country of 11,2-million.

All the state's resources are mobilised, focused on the same goal: to ensure that no one dies. Vehicles are rounded up to provide transport for people in danger areas, and schools and other government buildings are converted into shelters.

Citizens on civil defence committees - organised by community, neighbourhood, even block - go into gear, ensuring each shelter is well stocked.

They go from house to house, ensuring everyone gets out. They are helped by leaders of the Committees for the Defence of the Revolution, a neighbourhood watch group that keeps tabs on every person.

By the time the storm hits, the streets are empty, with residents tucked away in locations believed to be safe from whipping winds and drenching rains.

Cubans also open doors to neighbours, relatives, friends. During Hurricane Wilma, officials said 80% of evacuees stayed in other people's homes rather than shelters.

"Everyone helps each other," said Dayami Gonzalez while cleaning up her Havana home on Tuesday after floodwaters began receding. "In the United States it seems like there's more egoism, where everyone just worries about themselves."

Giraldo Garcia blamed the US government for the 1 000 Katrina-related deaths in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

"It's like those in power don't think about anything but war," Garcia said. "It was so painful to see innocent people whose lives could have been saved."

Garcia praised Cuba's system, particularly the response to flooding in the capital, which submerged the coastal Malecon highway and several blocks inland after Hurricane Wilma battered the northern coast.

Military amphibious vehicles and squads evacuated 250 residents from Havana homes after the waves hit on Monday.

"If there's any risk to human lives, I know that the government won't leave us to Lady Luck," Garcia said. - Sapa-AP


 * From: http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=132&fArticleId=2968522**