New: UK Government grants aid.

The situation in Matanzas
We received  (22 Nov 2001)  an email from Felipe Hector which tells us of the effects in Matanzas, which was the most seriously affected province. Hurricane Michelle damaged more than 50,000 houses, and of these 7,000 were totally destroyed. All the plantain and citrus plantations were destroyed, and there was considerable damage to all the other sectors of agriculture. A lot of industry was affected, and the whole of the Matanzas electricity system was put out of action. There are still municipalities tthat don't have electricity. The union is understandably very busy in the effort to restore things, but is still committed to its building project in the coming year as conditions permit. He will be in touch with regard to any specific requests.

Andrew Lowe adds:-
I have just travelled through Matanzas and there is a lot of damage. Some
electricity was back on but they are still suffering from blackouts.  A
lot of the crops were damaged and also many homes have been totally
destroyed. They were working hard to sort things out.

More info on Matanzas in the UN report below.

4. THE EFFECTS
Immediate
The hurricane affected 45% of the Cuban territory and 53% of the nation's
population. The affected area includes 8 provinces and one special
municipality. The UN Group visited three of the most affected provinces,
Matanzas, Cienfuegos and Villa Calra, where it was able to witness a wide
and striking show of the devastation caused by MICHELLE in the country.
All along the route from Havana to Matanzas city, along the coastal
highway called Via Blanca, the path of the destruction was made evident by
the fallen trees and electrical and telephone posts.

4.1. VISIT TO THE PROVINCE OF MATANZAS
Already in the capital city of Matanzas, which did not have electricity,
the Group saw concentrations of people around tanker vehicles distributing
potable water. We were informed that the authorities before distribution
chlorinated all of the water, and that the population received chlorine
tablets to treat water from other sources. The provincial authorities, who
received the UN Group at the headquarters of the Provincial Assembly,
reminded us that this was the most affected territory in Cuba. Some 60,700
people had to be evacuated. The storm came into the Cuban territory
through the Ciénaga de Zapata on 4 November y crossed the territory from
southeast to northeast, exiting on 5 November just to the east of the
provincial boundary, through the small town of Corralillo, in the
neighboring province of Villa Clara. On Tuesday 7 November, 73% of
Matanzas province did not have electricity and, therefore, the provision
of piped potable water was also interrupted. The visit that followed
allowed us to confirm that thousands of electrical and telephone posts
were on the ground, with wires broken and entangled in trees an other
objects. This caused the suspension of telegraphic and telephone
communications. The hurricane caused the fall of television towers in
Matanzas and Cienfuegos, and numerous radio and telecommunication towers
were also on the ground. Flooding was still present in various urban and
rural areas. Some 24% of housing of the province were affected -mainly the
roofing- leaving some 18,000 people without homes. It is estimated that
some 29,000 girls and boys suffered some kind of affectation. Some 300
schools, half of the existing ones, suffered damages -roof and windows--
and 20 schools were totally destroyed. Several medical facilities and
daycare centers also suffered significant damage. However, and despite the
damages, we were told that that school activities would start the
following day (three days after the hurricane passed through Cuba), and
several alternative solutions were being put into place so that the pupils
of the destroyed schools could continue their educational activities in
other installations. In terms of the agricultural sector of the province,
the losses are total in the plantation of plantains and other ground
products, mainly edible roots such as Yucca. The winds of some 135 miles
an hour destroyed the harvest of citrus fruits - oranges and grapefruit -
that were still in the process of ripening in the large plantations of
southern Matanzas. A small portion of that fruit could be processed, if
labor should be available for this purpose and as soon as the industrial
installations have their electricity reinstated and its roofing repaired.
Even if all of these conditions are met --picking up the fallen fruit, its
transport and processing, the economic losses are already in the millions
of dollars in the citrus industry. The sugar industry also deserves a
special mention given the fact that it is one of the critical pillars of
the Cuban economy. The sugar cane fields of Matanzas suffered the full
strength of MICHELLE and, given the fact that the plants were flattened by
the winds, their mechanical harvesting will be more difficult. The
industrial installations of the sugar industry also suffered, particularly
the roofing of the mills. This situation is also applicable to the
provinces of Cienfuegos and Villa Clara and the rest of the affected
provinces to the west and center of the country. The aviary installations
also received significant damages which will be negatively reflected in
the production of eggs and poultry. Many of these installations lost their
roof, a situation repeated in the other affected provinces. The UN Group
visited the small town of Jaguey Grande, in the southern part of Matanzas,
as well as the Ciénaga de Zapata (Zapata Swamp), the entry point of the
storm. Both of these places are among the most affected in the country by
MICHELLE and offered the visitors some of the most graphic samples of the
destruction caused by the storm. In Ciénaga de Zapata there was a
dangerous process of flooding due to the infiltration of waters
originating from other areas of Matanzas that had been affected by the
heavy rains that accompanied the hurricane in certain sections (up to some
500 mm in some areas). Having witnessed the magnitude of the damages, it
was possible to gauge with greater clarity the effectiveness of the work
of prevention, preparation and mitigation carried out by the Civil Defense
and the local, municipal and provincial authorities. All the people that
were at risk, as well as thousands of livestock were evacuated to safe
areas. In Matanzas, there were 4 deaths due to building collapses of the
total 5 in the whole territory of Cuba. The food security of the province
is at risk in the immediate months, takeing into account that the storm
destroyed the crops that were about to be harvested and those that were in
the process of early growth. In expressing their own concern for this
situation, the authorities informed us that the recovery and
reconstruction efforts include the planting of crops with short cycles and
the intensification of work in organoponic and other installations of
urban agriculture, taking advantage of the vegetables season during the
forthcoming cooler months. The province of Matanzas is one of the main
tourist centers of Cuba. In Varadero the damages to hotels and other
installations were minor. However in Ciénaga de Zapata, the Boca de Guamá,
the small village of Guamá and the Playa Girón and Playa Larga tourist
facilities suffered devastating damages.

4.2. VISIT TO THE PROVINCE OF CIENFUEGOS
Almost at nightfall of 7 November, the UN Group left the province of
Matanzas and arrived at the neighboring village of Aguada de Pasajeros,
the headquarters of the municipal government of the same name in the
province of Cienfuegos, one of the most affected by the storm. In Aguada,
as well as Abreus and Rodas, places that were also visited, the
devastation was also present as in Matanzas province. In Aguada, the UN
Group visited a shelter where we were able to witness the excellent care
provided by the authorities to guarantee adequate food, medical attention
and recreation for the families lodged at the facility because of the loss
of their homes. Late in the night, the UN Group was received at the
Headquarters of the Provincial Government by the President of the
Administrative Council and the First Secretary of the Party. The city of
Cienfuegos was just beginning to receive electricity, although many of its
settlements were still without electricity, communications, piped water
and other services linked to the electrical system. In Cienfuegos there
were also many houses, buildings, industrial and agricultural
installations and other services, including schools and health service
facilities, that were seriously affected or totally destroyed by the
hurricane. More that 60,000 people had to be evacuated to safe places, and
more than 500 will need to continue to be in shelters for almost a year
until their destroyed homes can be rebuilt. All of these people, and many
others considered at risk, receive special food and health services.
Similar to the case of other areas visited, special services are provided
to boys and girls, pregnant women, nursing mothers, the handicapped and
other vulnerable groups. The earliest resumption of school classes is a
priority in Cienfuegos, as well as in the rest of the affected areas, in
order to contribute to the emotional recovery of the girls and boys and
their families. The provincial authorities expressed their serious concern
about the food situation in the province -with more than 396,000
inhabitants-given that MICHELLE destroyed the two agricultural enterprises
that provide food and produce to the capital of the province and
recommended to the UN Group a visit to the Horquita Enterprise, in the
municipality of Abreus. This visit was carried out on 8 November. The UN
Group did an extensive tour through the land area of the Enterprise, and
was able to appreciate the enormous devastation on the crops, the
installations - industrial as well as agricultural, educational, housing,
public service buildings, irrigation installations, and electrical and
communications posts. The Horquita Enterprise produces annually more than
3 million quintales (137,000 TM) of vegetables, and is responsible for the
supply of some 45 % of the food production for the city of Cienfuegos, the
capital of the province with some 150,000 inhabitants, and is also a minor
supplier to the city of Havana. The UN Group learned about the damage to
22 of the 39 irrigation systems -the Kuban-which are vital for the success
of the forthcoming potato crop, some 1,000 hectares of which will be
planted as of 15 November, as well as other short cycle products. Despite
these short cycle crops, the months from November to February will be
difficult in terms of food availability, since the destruction of the
storm will not allow the harvest of products during these months. The last
small town visited in the province of Cienfuegos was Rodas where serious
damages were also registered in the agricultural sector, industrial,
social and service installations, housing, crops and sugar industry.

4.3. VISIT TO THE PROVINCE OF VILLA CLARA
In the afternoon of 8 November, the UN Group arrived at Santa Clara. In
the Headquarters of the Government, the Provincial President, accompanied
by an important group of his collaborators, offered us a very
comprehensive presentation of the serious damages caused by the hurricane
in the agricultural, industrial and service sectors, housing and other
installations, communications, electricity and other important services
for the population. The province, with 13 municipalities and 836,000
inhabitants, has as its capital Santa Clara, an urban center with 240,000
inhabitants. A total of 129,000 people at risk were evacuated. In addition
to having an important sugar industry, Villa Clara is also the
headquarters of other large industries -metal-mechanic, chemical and home
appliances- with an important value for the country. Villa Clara has a
well developed agricultural sector and is a producer of coffee, tobacco,
milk and meat. The damages to the sugar cane, citric fruits, plantain,
vegetables are very significant. But perhaps the greatest and most
demolishing loss was registered in the northern coast, in the small towns
of Playa Carahatas, in the municipality of Quemado de Guines; La Panchita,
in the zone of Corrallilo, and in the fishing hamlet of Isabella de Sagua.
These coastal communities were hit by a severe penetration of the sea,
with waves of almost ten meters high that destroyed more than 400 homes,
as well as personal effects, home appliances, mattresses, clothing and
shoes. The inhabitants of the region, mostly fishermen and their families,
had been evacuated by the authorities, thus avoiding a human tragedy of
major proportions. The UN Group visited two of these communities and could
confirm, along with the local population, not only the severe damages
caused by the storm, but also the incredible strength and will of the
people to reconstruct their lives. Summarizing some 53% de the Cuban
population -an estimated 5,9 million people-was affected by hurricane
MICHELLE through the full or partial destruction of crops, housing and/or
other property, both private and public, as well as the lack of
electricity, water and communication services. In some areas of Central
Cuba, the most affected region of the country, electricity and water
systems will not be restored until the end of November. Resumption of
telephone and other communication services also show perspective delays.
At the same time, agricultural deliveries in affected areas will be
severely reduced for at least the next three months, until short-term
crops now being planted begin to access the local produce markets.

5. THE EFFECTS
Short term
Short term effects, most probably covering the next six months, will
include a sharp reduction in the availability of foodstuffs, especially in
the most affected provinces. According to preliminary data, this will be
most evident in the cases of bananas and plantains, manioc and potatoes.
Medium and long term The consequences of the natural disaster for the
Republic of Cuba take on an added significance if one takes into account
the difficult economic situation of the country, emerging from a decade in
which half of its gross national product was reduced by some 38% and
imports by more than 70%, after the impact of the fall of the Soviet
block. Although there has been some sustained recovery since 1994 as a
result of the introduction of economic reforms that enhanced key economic
sectors, allowing the country to attain a new insertion into the global
economy, the situation is still complex. Despite the strong and inevitable
impact of this situation on the living conditions of the Cuban population,
the Government of Cuba has shown an outstanding capacity to provide
protection to the most vulnerable sectors, as well to maintain and
sometimes to increase the main social services -health, education, and
social security. Also noteworthy is its capacity to recover growth levels
despite the difficult international conditions, a factor which has had a
positive effect on the relative recovery of living conditions in recent
years. The passing of Hurricane MICHELLE has coincided with a particularly
difficult situation in Cuba, given the deterioration of the international
economic situation, particularly after the 11 September events, all of
which have had a negative influence on the process of recovery of the
Cuban economy. Even before the passing of the hurricane, the Government of
Cuba had expressed its intention to reevaluate its growth projections for
the current year of 2001.

6. IMPACT ON THE EXPORT SECTOR
The most affected four export sectors are: sugar, citrus fruits, tobacco,
and coffee. The impact on the tourist installations has been minimal and
micro-located. Sugar: Approximately 35% of the sugar production of the
country takes place in the central and western provinces, all affected by
the hurricane. There was damage both to the installations in these regions
(roofing and some damage to the steel structures of the sugar mills) as
well as to the sugar plantations (flattening of the stalks and occasional
breakage of plants). These damages will require investments for the repair
of the industry, as well as greater labor costs given the impossibility to
use harvesters, thus calling for hand cutting of the fallen and flattened
plants. The main consequence of this is a lowering of labor productivity,
aggravated by the fact that a considerable portion of the labor force of
this zone have themselves been the victims of damages in their homes and
their personal effects, a factor which requires them to place efforts and
concern in their own recovery. Furthermore, the harvesting by hand under
such difficult conditions will most likely require new norms that will
increase the labor costs by unit of production. Some preliminary
calculations estimate the effect to the sugar industry by some 10% more
than the original estimate for the forthcoming harvest. Thus, in addition
to these damages and their effects, there is also a need to add the
increase in cost per ton because of the added costs of repair and the fall
in the labor productivity. Citrus fruits: Matanzas, one of the most
affected territories, is the home of the largest production enterprises of
citrus fruits in the country, including industrial plants for the
processing of fruits and the production of concentrated juices mainly for
export. Some of these enterprises have foreign investment. The impact on
the citrus plantations is considered as severe, given that practically the
totality of the fruit in the trees, approximately 450,000 tons, has fallen
on the ground. It is estimated that because of the state of ripeness of
the fallen fruits, only a portion of these -some 10 to 15 %- can be
recovered and saved through industrial processing. The effects on the
industrial plants were less severe. Coffee: The estimated effect on coffee
is approximately 300,000 5-gallon cans. Only a small portion of coffee
beans can be saved, with a reduced level of final quality, thus making it
impossible to export. Tobacco: As it is well known, tobacco is one of the
main lines of traditional exports of Cuba. The country has two large
tobacco production areas and one of them lies in the center of the island,
fully struck by the hurricane. The tobacco harvest was in the seedling
stage when the hurricane crossed the areas. Many seedlings were destroyed
by the winds and rains. Despite these losses and the need to begin the
planting of new seedlings for subsequent transplant, the tobacco harvest
does not seem to have suffered much.

7. IMPACT ON THE NON-EXPORT AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
The damages on the agricultural products are considerable, mainly in the
province of Cienfuegos, where the municipal center of Abreus, site of the
agricultural enterprise that guarantee the food security of the province -
and its most important centers. Abreus was directly hit by the hurricane,
with losses that can be described as total. The same situation can be
found in a considerable sector of the agriculture in Matanzas and Villa
Clara, and to a lesser degree, in the province of Havana, main food
producer for the capital of the country. In regards to each of the
affected products, the estimates are the following: Bananas and Plantains:
This product is part of the basic food basket of the population of Cuba.
Given the fragility of this plant and the immense strength of the winds of
the hurricane, the losses were enormous: 17,860 hectares, or 45% of the
existing plantations in the country, in addition to being some of the most
productive. The reestablishment of these plantations and the recovery of
the normal levels of production will take some 9 to 12 months but only if
the adequate treatment is made with herbicides, fertilizers and other
inputs. This presupposes an additional investment for the importation of
these products. Papaya: This is one of the main tropical fruits of large
consumption in Cuba, and part of its nutritional culture. The losses here
are estimated to be some 8,500 tons just in the central region of the
country. Other products: In the central region the damage was also severe
in other products such as edible roots -yucca and sweet potatos- other
vegetables and rice. One important factor that affects the majority of the
crops is the damage to the irrigation systems. One example is the Horquita
enterprise, of major importance to the province of Cienfuegos, where
several irrigation machines and their connections were severely damaged,
thus making it difficult for production to be recovered. This situation
repeats itself in almost all of the agricultural areas of the most
affected provinces. This fact will make necessary the importation of parts
and/or new systems as well as a massive repair job. Urban agriculture:
During the last few years, Cuba has promoted an important development of
urban agriculture, mainly in the construction of hydroponic and agroponic
and small gardens, where vegetables are produced. The total damage in this
production has not yet been quantified, but the preliminary reports from
different territories indicate total losses in the provinces from Ciego de
Avila to Havana, including the municipality of Isla de la Juventud.
Although this represents a significant loss to the food situation,
recovery is not as complex mainly because vegetables are short cycled
crops. Forestry: In this sector, an evaluation is still being made to
estimate the effects of the total damages, although it is confirmed that
the most affected zones are Ciénaga de Zapata and the Escambray Mountain
Range, the former in the province of Matanzas and the latter covering
parts of the provinces of Cienfuegos and Sancti Spiritus. The damage could
be as high as 60,000 hectares of forests with an exploitable volume of
some 5,000 cubic meters. This would be considered a serious damage given
that wood in Cuba is a scarce resource, and in addition the effects of the
hurricane will require a larger demand of wood for carpentry to attend to
the damages in social and productive installations, thus placing an added
pressure on the import needs of the country. The situation demands a rapid
intervention in these areas in order to give them remedial treatment in
order to mitigate losses. Poultry and egg sector: Serious losses have been
reported in a large group of Poultry farms in the most affected provinces.
Approximately 356,000 birds were lost, mainly hens for egg production and
23,000 ducks. This represents approximately 3% of the existing poultry
stock in the country. This situation is bound to affect particularly the
most affected provinces, specially in the production of eggs, which is an
important part of the protein included in the food basket of the Cuban
population. The rest of the livestock did not suffer significant damages
due mainly to the rapid evacuation and protection of the animals. However,
the hurricane damaged grasslands used for feeding of the cattle.

8. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY
The impact on the industrial sector is smaller than that of the
agricultural sector. It is mainly concentrsated in several sugar mills, as
indicated before. It is important to point out other damages to the
industrial sector such as those to the production facilities of the INPUD
plant of domestic appliances, the huge mechanical plant, the boiler
factory, and the electro-chemical plant, all located in the province of
Villa Clara.

9. IMPACT ON THE SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE
The damages to this sector are considerable, and this will have not only
immediate economic consequences but also social consequences due to the
damages to the quality of life of the population in the territories that
were most affected by the hurricane. Housing: A large portion of the
affected area is rural or of small urban settlements. In these places, the
conditions of housing range to a great extent from medium to bad. The most
utilized form of roofing -the use of fibercement tiles- is fragile and
extremely vulnerable to passing strong winds. This has caused a large
number of houses to be left without roof, in addition to other structural
damages. In the case of the province of Matanzas it was reported to the UN
Group that some thousands of houses were affected (120,000 people; 18.5%
of the population of the province), of which some 14,500 were totally
destroyed (17,000 people; 2.6% of the total population of the province).
It must be taken into account that that this population includes a
considerable number of girls and boys, as well as elderly people. Although
there are no precise calculations yet, the situation in neighboring
Cienfuegos and Villa Clara, as well as in the Isla de la Juventud, must be
similar: In the case of Cienfuegos the local authorities estimate that
some 20% of the total housing of the province has been affected, and some
6% totally destroyed. In the province of Villa Clara there are two fishing
settlements (Playa Carahatas and La Panchita) where hundreds of houses
were destroyed or severely damaged due to violent sea penetrations.
Similar conditions are found in the other small settlements in Ciénaga de
Zapata, province of Matanzas. In the city of Havana there are some 14,756
affected housing units. A considerable portion of those families with
housing totally destroyed will remain in shelters provided by the
Government until new houses or building units are finished, which will
represent approximately a minimum time frame of one year. The main
strategy designed by most of the local authorities is to stimulate the
direct participation of those affected, in the reconstruction of their own
homes, for which they can count on the solidarity of their neighbors and
building materials provided by the Government. Some of these materials
will have to be imported, meaning an added expense. Another important
factor to take into consideration is the added cost of maintaining
families in shelters, as well as the cost of paying full salary to these
workers, absent from their jobs during the period that they are rebuilding
their homes. In addition to the damages to the homes, other negative
impacts include damaged basic items such as : mattresses, refrigerators
and other domestic appliances.. All of these require immediate attention,
particularly the need for mattresses. Health: In the affected areas there
are damages are reported in the health institutions, including hospital
centers. In the case of the province of Matanzas four of these were
affected, one of which, the Colon Hospital, has major damages. The very
important Ameijeiras Hospital, in Havana, suffered a penetration of the
sea in its lower floors. The sea water damaged important and very
expensive pieces of equipment including two Computerized Axial
Tomographers, and one other for MRIs, services which are of critical need
for the population. There are also damages reported in other health
installations such as medical clinics, policlinics, pharmacies, homes for
pregnant women at risk and old people's homes. For the most part, damages
are in the roofing of the installations, mainly those in the rural sector.
The main medicine warehouses were fortunately saved, although the
preventive measures that situations such as these require will necessitate
greater amounts of medicines. This is one of the priority lines of the
Government at this stage. Education: The impact on educational
installations was considerable. It is officially reported that some 1,500
schools were damaged, of this at least 50 totally destroyed. The greatest
damage to these installations was in the woodwork for doors and windows,
mainly in the rural Basic Secondary and Pre-university schools, and in
roofs in the case of primary schools, mainly in rural areas. The main
special appliances at these installations, such as TV sets, VCRs and
computers, were saved, as well as solar panels in the case of isolated
schools that draw electricity from that source. The school activity had
been stopped temporarily in the most affected zones but was expected to be
resumed in the following hours. The repair of schools requires much wood,
roofing as well as furniture, school materials and mattresses,
particularly in the case of school that provide boarding, which are a
considerable portion of those affected. The damages to university
installations are not so considerable, although major damages are reported
to the Botanical Gardens of Matanzas and Cienfuegos. Day care centers:
Similar to the educational installations of the affected zones, several
day care centers for children from 0 to 5 years of age were damaged. These
installations are of great importance since they facilitate the
incorporation of mothers to the labor force. The greatest damages are in
roofing, carpentry, furniture and mattresses. In the case of Matanzas,
whose losses could serve as a thermometer for the rest of the provinces,
30 day care centers were damaged out of the 61 operational in that
province. The situation in Cienfuegos, Villa Clara and Isla de la Juventud
is probably the same in general terms. Considering the impact of the
hurricane on the housing, educational institutions and day care centers,
as well as the number of evacuated families, the impact on the infant
population can be gauged, particularly in the most affected provinces. One
large part of the boys and girls of these areas have been forced by this
tragedy to change their environment and their habitat from one day to the
next, and it will be so for many during an extended period of time. In
this sense, the government authorities, both at the central and local
levels, are displaying an extraordinary effort in order to mitigate those
negative effects. However, given the existing material limitations,
international assistance should be most welcomed. Other social
institutions: There are also reported damages in old people's homes,
grandparent clubs and local recreational institutions. As in other cases,
the damage concentrates in roofing, carpentry and furniture.

11. IMPACT ON THE FOOD SITUATION
As was explained earlier, the damages to the agricultural sector strongly
affects the feeding of the population, particularly in the most affected
provinces. Although the Government will implement a strategy to plant
short cycle crops during the cold weather season (second annual
agricultural period, starting in November) already in process, an
important part of these products can not be harvested before March-April
2002. For this to happen, it is absolutely essential to have seeds,
fertilizer and pesticides, and to repair irrigation systems severely
damaged by the hurricane. The success of the next planting season will
depend on the rapid repair of these installations. This will mean that
there will be a period of five months (November 2001 - April 2002) of food
scarcity. This scarcity will have repercussions not only in the five
affected provinces but also on the national market, since these provinces
are important contributors to those markets. At the same time, the
scarcity of food products could also result in an increase in prices in
the non-state markets, particularly in the affected provinces. Taking into
account all of these aspects, the country could face a period of food
insecurity between the months of November 2001 to April 2002.

10. IMPACT ON THE PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
The most important damages in terms of physical infrastructure correspond
mainly to the communications and electricity sectors, since highways,
roads and bridges did not suffer considerably. Electricity: The electrical
grid suffered damages of great importance, including the destruction of
some 125 high tension towers that connect the East-West national energy
system. Likewise, thousands of electricity poles were either felled or
broken, a large part of which will have to be replaced. This operation
will demand the employment of a highly specialized labor force, its total
operation could take months and will require most likely the importation
of various components. Despite these damages, Government response has been
swift, and was able through different alternatives or provisional
solutions to reinstate electrical service in a large portion of the
national territory. However, power outages during the passing of the
hurricane and the following days caused various damages, mostly in the
production process of various industries that had to paralyze their
operations. Communications: The impact of the hurricane on this sector was
high due to the fact that several towers and thousands of poles fell down
interrupting telephone services as well as radio and television
transmissions. The recovery in this sector will be gradual and will
require of equipment imports. One of the most important actions will be
the reconstruction of the 70-meter high communication tower in the
province of Matanzas, one of the key micro-wave systems of the country,
covering radio, television and telephone communications. It represents a
costly and technologically-complex operation.

12. IMPACT ON THE NATIONAL PRODUCTION
Several causes directly associated to the passing of the hurricane have
led to the stoppage of production and work in numerous industrial and
service centers in Cuba´s central and western provinces. Lack of
electricity, communications and damages to infrastructure are mostly
responsible. Although it is difficult at this moment to quantify the value
of losses,, it must be relatively high, a factor which will affect the
economic results of the present year. This becomes more important in the
case of export products.

13. IMPACT ON EMPLOYMENT, INCOME AND MACROECONOMIC EQUILIBRIUM
The reduction of stoppage of productive activities, mainly in cases where
the installations have suffered considerable damages, will affect
employment in specific places at the most affected zones. However, in
general terms, this should not significantly influence the national
unemployment levels, given that in one way or another the various entities
affected will continue to provide employment to their workers for the most
part. However, for a more precise analysis on the impact on the real
per-capita income other factors will need to be taken into consideration.
The majority of the enterprises in Cuba have been gradually adopting the
system of linking salary to the final labor results, a factor of capital
importance within the on-going managerial reform. In the case of
enterprises whose levels of production will be affected, specially in the
agricultural sector, the Government has decided to maintain the average
salary of the workers, at least for some time, including those that will
have to dedicate their time to the reconstruction of their destroyed
homes.

14. IMPACT ON THE CULTURAL PATRIMONY
Because of the characteristics of the areas affected by the hurricane,
mostly rural, the damages to the cultural patrimony were not significant.
Measures were also taken to preserve museum collections, libraries and
other cultural centers. However the century-old Terry and Sauto theatres,
in Cienfuegos and Matanzas, respectively, have sustained damages in
woodwork and furniture, although not in their structures. In the case
Havana's Historical Center, there were reports of hundreds of houses
collapsed, affecting some 1,700 inhabitants. One schools with some 500
students was felled by the storm.

15. IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT
The consequences of this type of phenomenon on the environment and the
ecosystme equilibrium are difficult to determine in the short term, but
they undoubtedly occur and need to be monitored. UNDP, within its Sabana
Camaguey and the project on the System of Protected Areas include
environmental impact assessemnts that will become handy to measure and
monitor the effects in the medium and long terms. In the specific case of
the Ciénaga de Zapata, zone of particular ecological importance, there are
reportf of signifcant damage to the vegetation and fauna of the site.

16. PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF NEEDS
A. Immediate
The Government of Cuba has prioritized the supply of foodstuffs, medicines
and raw materials for the manufacture of selected medicines. However,
knowing that many of those interested in offering support to Cuba in these
times of urgent needs are in a position to provide some other articles,
which are also in urgent demand in the country, the UN institutions in
Cuba, following the tour of affected areas, issue the following indicative
list of suggested items, so as to facilitate the task of those interested
in providing that help. Food production and food security Food products
for persons lodged at temporary shelters (mainly those who lost their
homes and do not have the possibility of returning to their own areas
because they don't have relatives or friends who could lodge them). Also,
food products for vulnerable groups affected the shortage of foodstuffs
placing them at risk of food insecurity. Seeds Irrigation infrastructure
Fertilizers Pesticides Materials for the construction of organoponic
production units Materials for the construction of Aquaculture production
units Health and social infrastructure (hospitals, health posts, clinics,
pharmacies, homes for pregnant women at risk, old people's homes and day
care centers) Roofing (preferably zinc) Building materials Carpentry
material and glass for windows Refrigerators for the maintenance of
medicaments Laboratory equipment Ambulances Medical equipment and
instrumental in general Raw materials for the production of medicaments
Medicines and vitamins particularly to attend to the needs of children and
pregnant women Educational sector Roofs (preferably zinc) Building
materials Carpentry materials and glass for windows Computers (to replace
those lost during the storm) Desks and tables School and other materials
(to replace the personal property lost by children) Electricity Small
generators Kerosene lamps Lanterns Communications Mobile communications
equipment (two way radios) Housing human settlements Roofing (preferably
zinc) Building materials, particularly wood Carpentry materials and glass
for windows Home appliances (particularly refrigerators and small cookers)
Beds Mattresses Blankets Clothing (to replace the losses)

B. Medium Term
An effort will be made to produce, as soon as possible, a list of actions
needed to address problems of medium and long term nature in the area of
food production and food security, forestry sector, housing, productive
sector, social infrastructure, energy and communications. Some of the
immediate needs listed above are identified as needed to initiate this
medium term reconstruction and recovery.

_________________________________________
This arrived today (Tuesday 20 Nov) from Cuba. The translation is quick, unofficial and by Steve Wilkinson at CSC. The original in Spanish is below. Please circulate to all Cuba's friends.
MESSAGE TO BE SENT TO ALL OUR FRIENDS OUTSIDE CUBA
Dear Friends: Cuba has been whipped by the worst hurricane in fifty years. Its rains and strong winds, of more than 200 km per hour affected eight provinces and to the Isle of the Youth, almost half of our territory. Four of these provinces were severely punished by the force of this atmospheric phenomenon. Prior to the approach of the hurricane Cuba worked intensely in the prevention of material damage and the preservation of human lives. More than 700 thousand people were evacuated to safe places. Thanks to these measures we have only had to lament the loss of five human lives. The material damage has been considerable, especially in construction, electric power, communications and agriculture. Not a single minute has been lost in the task of recovery; our Government, with Fidel at the head, and the whole people are mobilised and they are toiling in order to re-build the destroyed and repair the damaged. We are on a war footing. Our people are accustomed to difficulties and have grown in the fight against them. With more unity and determination than ever we know how to confront all that the nature imposes us and we emerge from this more advanced. Cuban Institute of Friendship with the People. Havana November 20, 2001 MENSAJE PARA SER ENVIADO A TODAS LAS DIRECCIONES ELECTRONICAS DE NUESTROS AMIGOS EN EL EXTERIOR. Queridos amigos: Cuba ha sido azotada por un fortísimo huracán, el peor en los últimos cincuenta años. Las lluvias que trajo consigo y sus fuertes vientos, de más de 200 Km por hora, afectaron a ocho provincias y a la Isla de la Juventud, casi la mitad de nuestro territorio. Cuatro de estas provincias fueron severamente castigadas por la fuerza de este fenómeno atmosférico. Previo al paso del huracán se trabajó intensamente en la prevención de daños materiales y la preservación de vidas humanas. Más de 700 mil personas fueron evacuadas a lugares seguros. Gracias a estas medidas sólo hemos tenido que lamentar la pérdida de cinco vidas humanas. Los daños materiales han sido cuantiosos, especialmente en las construcciones, la energía eléctrica, las comunicaciones y la agricultura. No se pierde un solo minuto en las tareas de recuperación; nuestro Gobierno, con Fidel a la cabeza, y todo el pueblo, se movilizan y afanan para restablecer lo destruido y reparar lo dañado. Estamos en pie de guerra. Nuestro pueblo está acostumbrado a las dificultades y se crece en la lucha contra ellas. Con más unidad y determinación que nunca sabremos afrontar esta que la naturaleza nos impone y saldremos adelante. Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los Pueblos. Article sent out from CSC today. Cuba bounces back from worst storm in 50 years By Stephen Wilkinson Power was returning to homes across Matanzas province in central Cuba throughout the weekend of November 17-18, two weeks after Hurricane Michelle, the worst storm of the past fifty years had ripped through the island. More than 2,000 homes were completely destroyed and 20,000 severely damaged. The tourism, citrus and sugar industries - all vital to the economic recovery of the island - were severely hit. Some 35 per cent of next year's sugar cane crop has been lost, tourist facilkities have been destroyed and tonnes of vital citrus fruits have been shaken off the trees. In terms of infrastructure, the power system suffered its worst damage from any storm in history. In addition in some areas, 85 per cent of local food crops such as plantains aimed at domestic consumption were also lost. The miracle is that only five people were killed, thanks to a massive evacuation project which saw more than 700,000 people and over half a million animals moved out of harm's way. Cuba has reserves which it keeps for the eventuality of storms and recovery has been rapid. All those who have lost homes and possessions will be given new furniture and goods like bed linen, pots, pans etc needed to set up a home. Materials to repair and rebuild homes will be made available. Stores of emergency food and medicines have been brought out and distributed to prevent the spread of disease, so often the consequence of natural disasters in other parts of the the Third World. But all this will need to be replenished, and the costs of doing so will be an added burden at a time when tourism is showing a downturn thanks to the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on the US. The effects of the huricane will also take their toll of the economy, 20 hotels are still closed as a result of the damage caused. The Cuban Government has not asked for emergency aid but nonetheless several countries have sent it including Canada, Venezuela, Germany, France, Italy and Russia. China has sent $610,000 worth of supplies.

We  learned today (Friday 30 November) that UK Government Department for International Development has agreed to
send £250,000 in aid to help the flooding victims from the disaster.
_____________________________________
Picking Up the Pieces after Hurricane Michelle By Dalia Acosta HAVANA, Nov 14 (IPS) - Efforts are underway to repair or rebuild tens of thousands of homes after Hurricane Michelle's passage through Cuba early this month, and wooden shacks will be replaced by concrete houses according to instructions issued by President Fidel Castro. Ten days after the hurricane struck, 470 homes have been repaired in the province of Matanzas, some 120 kms from Havana, as part of emergency efforts to repair or replace 53,000 homes affected in that area. Sources with the Provincial Defence Council reported that 1,444 families had received materials for fixing their homes, while public enterprises were working hard to meet the demand for sand, cement, wood and roofing tiles. ''You will receive maximum assistance, rest assured. The response is swift, and everyone knows what they have to do,'' Castro told 1,000 local residents Monday of a town where the storm knocked down 82 homes, on his second visit to the worst disaster areas. After the first tour of the hardest-hit areas by the 75-year- old president, staged before Michelle had even pulled out of Cuba, Castro decided to tap the government reserves to deal with the emergency. Michelle hit Cuba on Nov 4. Matanzas was the first province to feel the impact of the storm, which traversed the country from south to north with an area of influence of 500 kms and winds averaging 165 kms per hour and peaking at 250 kms per hour. Classified by local authorities as the worst natural disaster - in terms of material damages, not lost lives - in 50 years, the hurricane affected 45 percent of the national territory, home to 5.9 million people, 53 percent of the population. But only five people were killed, due to local authorities' decision to evacuate some 700,000 residents from the areas expected to be in the path of the storm, as a preventive measure. In some cases, the government provided storage of the families' belongings in safe locations. Despite the preparations of the Civil Defence Council, the hurricane caused unprecedented damages to the national power grid and telecommunications system, as well as severe damages to housing and agriculture, which have not yet been fully assessed. ''On every block there are three or four houses without a roof, and that's not counting the ones that are just rubble,'' Silvia Fernandez, a resident of the town of Agramonte in the region of Matanzas, told IPS. Twenty kms from Agramonte, in the city of Jag�ey, around 2,000 homes were damaged, and some streets were still flooded this week, standing in the way of clean-up and restoration efforts. All of the province's bricklayers, including those who have already retired, will have to work for at least a year to repair and replace the damaged homes in Matanzas, according to estimates by local civil defence agencies. The province will have to produce more than one million concrete blocks by late January, and 20,000 tonnes of cement, 36,000 fibre-cement roofing tiles and 60,000 tonnes of sand will be needed in Matanzas alone. The biggest challenge to local industry will be manufacturing enough drain pipes and bathroom fixtures. ''We can recover'', ''no one will be abandoned to their fate'', ''some problems will take a bit longer, but they will all be worked out,'' are some of the phrases repeated by local authorities in their daily messages to those left homeless by the storm. While national resources are being mobilised to rebuild homes, part of a shipment of 22 tonnes of food, medicine, mattresses and other products donated by Venezuela began to be distributed in Matanzas. Hern n Hern ndez, director of the state agency Servicios para la Colaboraci¢n, said the donations coming in from abroad were first put through a process of inventory and classification, which is being carried out as swiftly as possible. Cuba immediately received help from the Venezuelan government of Hugo Ch vez as well as from China, which donated 604,000 dollars in cash and materials to go towards recovery efforts. Russia's Ministry for Special Situations and Civil Defence sent two IL-76 freight planes that arrived Monday full of baby food, canned meat, rice, condensed milk and glass for doors and windows. Russia's gesture was met with surprise here, after the government of Vladimir Putin's unilateral decision to close down an electronic intelligence base that Moscow operated on the outskirts of Havana since 1964. ''The people of Cuba are facing grave problems due to the natural disaster, and are in urgent need of assistance,'' Putin said Monday, leaving aside the tension between the two countries caused by the decision to close the base. The United States government even offered to send experts in damage assessment - the first offer of US assistance since Castro took power in 1959. But Havana responded that the best help would be authorisation for Cuba to purchase food and medicine in that country, which it is banned from doing by the four-decades-old US embargo. Diplomatic sources said in Cuba that several other Latin American countries, including Mexico, were waiting for an official request for aid from the Cuban government, although local analysts said Castro would not make such a request. Although a mission made up of representatives of several United Nations agencies travelled last week to the areas hit hardest by Michelle to assess the damages, the global body has not yet announced any donations. Meanwhile, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is studying the assistance to be provided in coordination with the Cuban Red Cross, said Cristina Estradas, local press officer for the two organisations. (END/IPS/LA/DV/TRA-SO SW/DA/MJ/01)
______________________________________
From John Waller (CSC)
I enclose two documents. The other - the passing of the hurricane - I largely wrote several days ago but restoring internet connections for the likes of me has not been top of Cuba's priority list so only now can I send it. Hurricane alert 4 from Steve in the office statistically outlines the damage which is considerable but not disastrous. My writing tries to give a feel for what happened based on what I observed and what others who were in the thick of it have said. Distribute it or use it in parts as you see fit. This document takes a more overtly political perspective. Cuba is experiencing 4 'hurricanes'. 1. The permanent hurricane of poverty that affect all of the Third World based on imperial exploitation 2. The 41 year old hurricane of the blockade 3. The economic/political hurricane caused by Bush's war on terrorism 4. The natural hurricane Michelle. However great the final tally of the damage caused by Michelle it will surely be less than the effects of the first two hurricanes in this year alone, and maybe less than the third. In 1993 after the "Storm of the Century" as they called it, Cuba appealed for emergency aid, for the first time ever. It was the depths of the special period. Hurricane Michelle is of a similar scale, but as of yet Cuba has not appealed for emergency aid and I will be surprised if it does. When Fidel tells the population that their immediate needs for food and shelter can be met from the state's reserves he means it. The problems will come later, to replenish the reserves, and to replace the lost foreign exchange from this year's orange, grapefruit, banana and coffee harvest and next spring's sugar harvest. This comes against the background of hurricanes 1 and 2, plus the economic affects of the war ( decline in tourism, drop in prices for many products). 2002 could be a hard year. What does this mean for the CSC. It seems to me that the office has got it right. · Its right to approach Clare Short. Any DFID aid would be economically useful but also politically significant, as would any DFID aid to Cuba for any reason. I'm not hopeful though · The charities will surely have, from their largely liberal perspective, other priorities. No Cuban is going to starve or remain homeless. · If some people are moved to donate money we should take it and pass it on, but we should not rush around trying to raise emergency aid because that is not where Cuba is at. From the many emails I've had asking me if I'm alright (thank you!) and how things are its clear to me that its hard for you to understand just how normal things are now in 95% (and rising) of this country. · We have the Salud appeal for money for ambulances which CSC is supporting. If together we can send all 90 ambulances then Cuba will divert the money it would otherwise have to spend, buying much more expensive ambulances from Canada, to other needs. John Waller - Havana Tue, 13 Nov 2001
___________________________________________
Hurricane Michelle rips through Cuba Cuba's economy - already under pressure from the global economic slowdown - suffered a major setback with the arrival of Hurricane Michelle in west-central Cuba on 4 November. Four people were killed in building collapses, and one man drowned on the southern coast. Officials reported that significant damage to the country's infrastructure and agricultural sector. In an initial reaction to the hurricane, President Fidel Castro confirmed that it had "done damage to all agriculture - to sugarcane, to forests, to plantains. It's another blow". At least 45,000 homes and about 780 government businesses and industries were damaged or destroyed, along with at least 500 schools, 50 child-care centres and 180 medical facilities, according to the government newspaper, Granma. Several dozen high voltage electricity and communications towers were also destroyed. According to the Basic Industry Ministry, which administers the island's electrical infrastructure, the hurricane caused "the worst damages in history to the country's electrical transmission". Dozens of sugar mills were destroyed, and crops ruined. The storm is estimated to have damaged 35% - 400,000 hectares - of the sugar crop, with 10% of this totally destroyed, damaged 15-20% of its citrus crop, and part of its coffee and tobacco crops. All these are produced largely for export. In Matanzas province, which produces more than 10% of Cuba's 3.8m tons of sugar production, nine of 20 sugar mills were destroyed. The sugar harvest was scheduled to begin later this month. Raw sugar output for 2001-2 had been forecast to reach 4m tonnes, up from 3.53m during the previous harvest. Private analysts believe that at least 400,000 tonnes has been lost as a result of the hurricane. In Havana, which was largely side-stepped by the hurricane, at least 179 buildings collapsed, 1,200 trees were knocked down and the roofs of at least 1,550 homes blown off or severely damaged. No damage was reported by Canada's Sherritt International to its nickel operations. The company produces about 31,000 tonnes of mixed sulphides containing nickel and cobalts at Moa Bay at the east end of the island. No formal request has been made for international aid, with President Castro saying that "the country has the necessary resources to recover by itself". However, Venezuela has sent food, tents and power generators, Germany has promised to donate US$70,000 worth of baby food and medicine and provide more relief when needs are assessed, and China has offered about US$700,000 of aid. The US government said it is ready to offer assistance "in a way that ensures that the Cuban people will benefit, not the Castro regime". However, Cuban officials said that they had only received an offer from the US to send three disaster specialists prior to deciding what Cuba's emergency needs were. On 8 November, Havana called on the US to relax laws prohibiting trade with Cuba "to allow public Cuban firms to make speedy purchases of certain quantities of food, medicines and raw materials to produce them". The request was made in a Foreign Ministry communiqué. In a related development, the US Senate Agriculture Committee voted on 7 November to allow private US financing of farm exports to Cuba. The Cuban financing initiative was contained in an omnibus farm policy bill, which is still being drafted. Last year, sales of food and medicine were exempt from US trade sanctions but no US government or private financing was allowed. However, Havana has said that no trade will take place with the US unless the trade embargo is lifted. No estimate on the recovery costs have been released yet by Havana but they are likely to run into the tens of millions of US dollars. Even before Hurricane Michelle, the global recession led the government last month to reduce its annual growth estimate to 4% from 5%. The economy grew by 3.6% in the first six months of the year. The economy's prospects suffered a further blow in October with Russia's decision to close the Lourdes spy facility and the resulting loss for Havana of US$200m in annual rental payments. Castro pledges to defend peso In a nationally broadcast before the hurricane, on 2 November, President Fidel Castro said the global economic slowdown and the uncertainty following the 11 September terrorist attacks on the US had reduced export prices for sugar, nickel and tobacco products, cut the number of tourist arrivals to the country, and impacted on the peso-dollar exchange rate. Since 11 September, he said, the peso has lost 18.8% of its value. It has now stabilised at around 26 pesos to the US dollar, from 20 pesos to the dollar on 10 September. "This is a situation that must be monitored closely", Cubans were told. "The country should not take any risks with its convertible currency resources". However, he guaranteed that: Cuba's foreign exchange bureaux (CADECAs) and stores that sell goods in convertible currency will not be closed; that the farmers markets will be remain open; that all bank deposits will be "absolutely respected"; and that "the value of the Cuban peso will be resolutely defended". He also pledged that the official prices of goods and services "will not go up by a single cent". He reported that prices for all of Cuba's key exports had declined due to the global economic slowdown. "The price of sugar on the world market has fallen from US$0.09 to US$0.0653 cents a pound. The price of nickel ... dropped from US$8,640 to US$4,715 a ton.Sales of tobacco, another of our most important export products, are declining in all markets", he said. The three products accounted for around US$1.2bn of Cuba's US$1.7bn export earnings in 2000. With respect to tourism, President Castro said that through to the end of August, Cuba had received a total of 1,304, 597 tourists - an increase of 7.8% on the same period last year. However, visitor arrivals in the last 20 days of September fell by 9.9% in comparison with the same month last year. Varadero and the city of Havana, the country's two most important tourist destinations, are also the most affected. "It is estimated that the decrease for the month of October will reach 14%", said the Cuban leader, who now expects tourism to expand by 3-6% this year, not 12% as originally forecast. Last month, Cuban Tourism Minister Ibrahim Ferradaz said that the goal of attracting 2m visitors to Cuba this year will not be achieved. Tourism, which generated US$1.97bn in 2000, accounted for 53% of Cuba's foreign currency earnings. During the broadcast, President Castro admitted that the option of obtaining credit to ease economic pressures "has been reduced due to the reduction in our convertible currency income".
___________________________________________
from : - Department for International Development  At present, a United Nations inter-agency mission is active in the country, working with the Cuban Civil Defence to provide a comprehensive assessment of the situation. As soon as we have received the results of this assessment, DFID will be able to respond to any request for humanitarian assistance.
 

Hansard 26 Nov.:
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development
what assistance her Department has offered to the Caribbean countries hit
by Hurricane Michelle. [14737]

Clare Short: We have been following closely the impact of Hurricane
Michelle. Following an appeal for international assistance from the
Government of Honduras, we have approved three proposals from NGO's
(Tearfund, Save the Children Fund and Care International UK) amounting to
£372,010. The Government of Cuba have not made an official request for
international assistance. However, a joint Government of Cuba and United
Nations interagency assessment mission to the affected areas is expected
to report their findings shortly. 26 Nov 2001 : Column: 591W We await that
report. In the meantime we stand ready to assess any appeals for
assistance from international organisations or project proposals from NGOs
for Cuba.

16 Jan
It now appears that DFID have given a furtehr £200,000 to Save the
Children for hurricane relief.
_____________________________________________________________
More eyewitness accounts
Dear everyone:

 I've been wanting to write you since Saturday, Nov 3rd, but Hurricane
Michelle  intervened! I suspect you've had news of its impact: one of the
most  serious  hurricanes (category 4 of 5) to hit Cuba in a long while,
with damages  affecting eight provinces (western and central) plus Isla de
Juventud. Most  seriously affected have been the provinces of Matanzas and
Cienfuegos where  there are still areas that are incommunicado. Immense
damages to housing  (in  the tens of thousands of houses with partial or
total damages), agriculture  (especially citrus, banana and sugar cane,
although lots of other food  crops  have also been damaged), schools,
infrastructure (electricity, water and  gas)  and tourist installations.
Just to give you an idea of what's happened, in  Cienaga de Zapata -
located on the southern coast of Matanzas Province -  sustained winds
reached 140 km per hour with wind gusts up to 250 kpm. The  result was
that 80% of local housing stock was damaged of which over 600  houses were
completely destroyed. Cienaga - which means swamp or marshland

 is the largest such area in the Caribbean. For this reason, UNESCO has
recognized it as one of the world's Biosphere Reserves. Michelle left the
Cienaga's ecosystem seriously damaged (it'll take years to recuperate),
the  barrier reef virtually disappeared, crocodile breeding areas
destroyed,  some  80% of the local tourist infrastructure damaged (ie,
Aldea Taina in Guama  completely destroyed), etc. During the actual
passage of the hurricane,  wind  gusts were so strong in the Cienaga that
the two-lane coastal highway was  virtually lifted off the ground like a
ribbon blowing in the breeze!

 Throughout western and central Cuba, the electrical system including
major  high-tension installations, posts, etc. have suffered more damage
than at  any  other time in the past 40 years! Line crews have been
working around the  clock, with work brigades from less affected or
unaffected provinces going  to  those areas which have been most affected.
In the city of Havana, only in  the  last couple of days has energy been
stabilized; many areas were without  light  the entire week and, for a
number of days, without gas (in a city where one  million now depend on
gas lines for cooking) and water. Our area, for  instance, was one of the
last to get electricity...

 Unfortunately five people died, four from collapsed buildings and one
from  drowning. Perhaps that number seems low - and it is - but for a
country  such  as Cuba that has put such impressive effort into developing
its civil  defense  system, to lose one life is a tragedy! Civil defense
here is outstanding.  We -  that's to say, the population - know about
hurricanes well before they  come,  when they're just tropical depressions
off the coast of Africa or Central  America. News of its development is
provided by all forms of media  communication. If a hurricane is going to
hit Cuba, during the two days  before  there are evacuations made of all
people living in areas of potential risk.  Children in schools in the
countryside are taken to their homes. Livestock  located in lowlands are
taken to higher grounds. Green houses are taken  down  as are solar panels
from rural schools and family doctor clinics. Over  700,000  people were
evacuated and a similar number of animals. Cuba has a  comprehensive plan
of preparing for natural disasters that includes  transport,  the stocking
with food and water of the centres to be used for evacuation  (often these
are schools, secure work centres and even government  buildings).  All
mass organizations - trade unions, women, the local neighbourhood
organizations, the agricultural cooperative organization, etc. - are
mobilized  in preparing the country. The focus is always the same: first,
to minimize  the  loss of human life and second, to minimize damage to the
economy and the  built  infrastructure. (I'm writing an article about how
Cuba's civil defense  system  works which I'll send you when it's done -
unfortunately it's delayed  because  of the electricity problems...)

 Michelle struck Havana on the 3rd. On the 2nd, I took all the potted
plants  -  of which there are about 50 - off our large balcony. Then I put
masking  tape  on all the windows; it really works in preventing breakage
as it helps  distribute wind pressure out from the centre of the glass.
Saturday morning  we  had already lost electricity throughout the city.
Rather, once winds start  to  grow, the city shuts down the electrical
supply to prevent damage and fire.  Of  course, once electricity goes, gas
goes as well (Havana's two gas-supplying  plants run on electricity) as
does water. Along with our neighbours, I  filled  up our in-house water
supply carrying water by buckets from our cistern  (which  was empty by
Sunday), made sure my short-wave radio had batteries and that  our  candle
supply was OK (although, after spending six days with only candle  light
at night, we've now decided to buy a paraffin lantern), went to the market
 to  buy some fruit and helped some of our neighbours with their own
hurricane  preparations (some of whom had already helped me with mine).
Then, it's  just  sit and wait, listening to the news of the radio about
what's happening  elsewhere in the country (ie, Michelle was already
seriously hitting  southern  Cuba with strong winds on Saturday) and
reading.

 By Sunday night, the winds in Havana were quite strong, some 120 kph
sustained  with wind gusts up to 150 kph. Our kitty, Demetrios, was not
very happy  with  any of this and spent about 48 hours non-stop sitting on
my lap, which is  very  difficult to do when I'm not sitting down, trying
to hide in my arms and  tucking his head under my elbow! Didn't sleep most
of the night as the  winds  made lots of noise and I wanted to hear the
news anyway. In Batabano, a  small  coastal community located due south of
the city of Havana, the ocean had  entered some 300 metres. This happened
in many southern and northern  coastal  communities in the provinces of
Havana, Matanzas, Cienfuegos and Villa  Clara.  Entire communities had
been evacuated. Tremendous destruction of houses.  Immense flooding of
communities and crops.

 Monday afternoon, from our balcony, you could see two trees down in our
block.  Elsewhere in the city some 3,000 trees had been knocked down, many
of them  really huge. Telephone poles also knocked down and live wires on
the  ground.  Crews out immediately working on this. Other crews working
on harvesting,  in a  manner of speaking, destroyed crops. For instance,
in Jaguey Grande, one of  Cuba's most important citrus-producing areas in
Matanzas, some 90,000  tonnes  of oranges and grapefruit were knocked off
the trees. The ground was  literally  covered by a bumpy carpet of fruit!
This is already being picked up and  distributed as quickly as possible to
population centres to eat. The same  with  bananas, although here what
can't be eaten by people can be given to the  animals. The damage to sugar
cane is more difficult: while bent cane can  still  produce a good
harvest, it can't be cut by machine (which needs to have the  cane
standing straight and tall) but instead must be hand-cut by machete,
which is tiresome and back-breaking work. In western and central Cuba,
almost  the entire sugar cane harvest is machine-cut, so having so much
cane bent  is a  difficult situation. Lots of loss of food crops: rice in
Sancti Spiritus  province, root crops, etc. The priority now is to plant
crops that grow  quickly (such as corn) to get food to people as soon as
possible.

 On Tuesday, I took a drive around the city with my downstairs
neighbour.  Everywhere, trees and telephone poles down. Wires on the
ground. Damage to  some roofs of houses and warehouses. A couple of hotels
and two movie  houses  damaged. But now, if you were to drive around the
city, you'd wonder if a  hurricane came here or not! The rapid efforts at
reconstruction combined  with  a massive - and voluntary - participation
from the people is truly an  inspiration to see. As one old farmer said
who had lost his house: "We've  had  the hurricane. We've suffered.
There's no point continuing to cry. We must  get  busy and rebuild. We
have the most important thing - our lives."

 Much more to say. But I'm anxious to get this off and let you know
that  we're fine - and that Cuba is recovering! Love, Susan
[Susan Hurlich is a long time Havana resident]

_____________________________________________________________
Hello, my name is Cristin Napier and I am one of eight Canadian students
from Dalhousie University studying in Cuba for a little over three months.
Our recent placement in Indio Hatuey, which is one kilometre outside of
Espana in the province of Matanzas. Being here has resulted in an
experience which I believe is important to share.

Hurricane Michelle hit this area of Cuba without mercy, with the eye of
the storm being about ten kilometres away from where we were staying, and
the effects for the people and land are nothing less than devastating.

Firstly, it is important to understand the wonderful community in which we
had been living up to the day after the hurricane. In short, it was a very
optimistic, hard working and successful group of people and their desire
to share knowledge with us created a unique opportunity for us to learn
with and through our new Cuban friends.

At around 2pm on Sunday November 4th we were asked to bring our
emergency supplies and to evacuate our rooms in the motel in which we were
staying. The wind and rain had already begun to pick up and they were
worried about our safety. By about 3:30 three palm trees had fallen on our
motel rooms. Just after 4:00 the storm began to really pick up and we were
moved once more to our final destination for the duration of the storm.
The building we were in felt very secure and the Cubans we were with were
well prepared with a communication system. As an example of both how
innovative yet poor the Cubans are, it is interesting to note that the
communication system being used to track the storm consisted of a radio
and walkie talkies, which were hooked up to the battery of a car outside
the building in the storm.

The mood inside the centre was sombre and our Cuban neighbours quickly
shared with us that the greatest fear was not the actual storm but the
devastation afterwards, the loss of homes and belongings and worse still,
the lack of food due to the destruction of the crops.

During the worst of the storm (which was around 8:00 p.m.) we tried to
play games and sing songs to keep ourselves occupied. Karen, one the
Canadian students, decided that we would teach the Cubans a game and vice
versa. These activities kept everyone's minds off the imminent dangers
ahead. At around 9:00-9:30 to our great surprise a team of Cubans left in
the middle of the storm in order to find food for the children who were in
a nearby building. We were astonished by the bravery of this act. They
also provided our group with a hot meal. After dinner there was nothing
left to do but wait out the rest of the storm and to try to get some
sleep. It was during this time that many of the Cubans became saddened.
The most emotional moment for me was when Odalis, one of my favourite
women of the community, broke down in inconsolable tears. While we
Canadians worried about our families' distress about us, it was little in
comparison to the worry the Cubans felt for their families and future
lives. Odalis worried about her family and her home in Espana. It was at
this moment that I really began to see the gross economic devastation that
would be experienced in this town.

As the room full of Cubans and our group of Canadians tried to catch some
sleep, murmurs of the storms' destruction could be heard followed by slow,
comforting music played on the radio.

At around 4:30 in the morning we woke up and were able to go outside for
the first time. Even though it was still dark, the destruction was
evident. The crops directly across from us had transformed from land into
a lake and trees and other debris was scattered everywhere. It was at this
time that they brought the rest of the Cubans into our building and after
eating a little they set right to work to clean the flood that had entered
the building. This work ethic had always impressed me but I was doubly
impressed by the community's capabilities in this time of crisis. Once the
dawn had arrived the sights were even more upsetting. The main road out of
Indio was almost a river with water up to one's waist at certain points.
Horses stood in shock, their bodies twitching from either fear or cold,
I'm not sure which one. Sleepy eyed children emerged from our habitation
and while some ran barefoot through the flooded street others stood in
silence. Fallen coconuts were picked off the ground and shared amongst all
for breakfast. The rest of the day was a blur of manual labour to clear
debris and find some order in this shaken community.

We were evacuated that night and the reason given was that flooding
might further devastate this area. While this may be true I also think
that they just didn't have the resources to keep us there any longer. I
feel very sad for our new friends and hope that we will be able to help
soon. We Canadians are so fortunate that it rarely occurs that a natural
disaster will destroy all that a family might have built up in a lifetime,
and if such an event does happen, we have the collective wealth to assist
each other. We students are personally fortunate that the Canadian embassy
was so kind to use, providing us with the opportunity to shower, wash our
clothes and phone home.

Much of Cuba remains without water, hydro or telecommunications. I hope
that the wealthier nations such as our homeland, Canada, will provide
assistance to the Cubans, to start with the process of rebuilding their
lives.

[Dalhousie University students in Cuba for the semester abroad programme
remain in the country, assisting in the reconstruction process.  Cristin
Napier may be contacted through the International Development Studies
programme at Dalhousie University]
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