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Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted from the Nov. 7, 1996
issue of Workers World newspaper
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No deaths from hurricane, but...

Cuba faces serious crop damage

By Deirdre Griswold

It was one of the worst storms of the century to hit Cuba. Hurricane Lili, which crossed the island on Oct. 18 packing 110-mile-an-hour winds, drop ped up to 18 inches of rain in some areas.

Damages are still being assessed. But they are expected to run into hundreds of millions of dollars-money Cuba can ill afford as it struggles to recover from the economic blows of the U.S. blockade and loss of commerce with the USSR and Eastern Europe.

More than 276,000 people were evacuated to government shelters from low-lying areas. Over 10,000 homes were destroyed and another 146,000 damaged.

But the greatest damage was to agriculture. The sugar, citrus, coffee, rice, banana and other vegetable crops will be seriously affected.

This puts a big damper on Cuba's plans to expand the economy over the next year, since loan payments and imports depend largely on income from sugar, coffee and citrus products.

Not one death

Despite the severity of the storm, however, not one person was killed. By contrast, the very next day a simple rainstorm in the New York City area led to four deaths. How did Cuba do it?

It was thanks to the implementation of a well-thought-out and centralized plan for civil defense.

The National Palace and other government buildings were opened to the public for shelter. This would be like the U.S. government opening up the White House to the people of Washington during a storm.

Every person in Cuba belongs to some kind of mass organization. No one gets lost in the shuffle. Neighborhood committees, labor unions and other mass organizations helped implement the civil defense plan, making sure everyone knew where to go and how to get there.

The serious attitude Cuba takes toward defense of the population during an emergency also reflects the constant threat of U.S. military action against the socialist island. Cubans have to be prepared to defend their sovereignty at any moment.

Solidarity organizations are discussing ways to help Cuba in this time of special need. For information or to send a donation for hurricane relief, contact: International Peace for Cuba Appeal, 39 West 14 St., Suite 206, New York, NY 10011, phone (212) 633-6646. On the West Coast: IPCA, 2489 Mission, No. 26, San Francisco, CA 94110, phone (415) 821-7575.

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