CONFRONTING TROPICAL STORMS  Civil Defense in Cuba is synonymous with prevention and a culture of confronting disasters

BY MARELYS VALENCIA-Granma International  staff writer-

"CYLCLONE! Cyclone!" shouted the policeman on horseback, desperately honking his horn. The cyclone was right behind him, pushing him forward.

Sometimes, though, the uniformed announcers - all Spanish - and the storms arrived at the same time, leaving Havana residents of 100 years ago with no alternative but to run to fasten their doors and windows, according to writer Renée Méndez Capote, in her wonderful book Memorias de una cubanita que nació con el siglo (Memories of a Cuban Girl Born with the Century).

Citizens would hurry to buy everything they could in the markets. As the cyclone approached, security guards would remain to guard the owners' possessions, with the simple company of a mutt dog and a whistle to call for help.

NOT JUST THE WEATHER

Before 1959, there was no structure here for confronting natural disasters. The Red Cross, fire brigades and police, to a certain extent, carried out rescue efforts in the case of fire, floods and other effects of tropical storms.

Some phenomena would forever leave their mark on people's memories, like the one of October 1932, when 3,000 people disappeared at one blow with a giant wave caused by a hurricane in the town of Santa Cruz del Sur (in south-central Cuba).

Of course, the development of meteorological forecasting resources and technology has also been very effective. But that wouldn't mean much without the existence of a coordinated relationship between the institutions that forecast and monitor the danger of disaster and the authorities that make decisions and provide adequate and timely information to the people, and where the media and political, mass and social organizations and institutions play a central role.

A timely warning also wouldn't mean much without the existence of a culture of disaster reduction; that is, a sustained effort in terms of prevention, preparation, response and recovery in the face of natural disasters.

It was after 1961 that the embryo of today's Civil Defense was first formed, when the country began to organize itself against other misfortunes that have nothing to do with nature and everything to do with its enemy in the North.

In 1966, the first law was passed to create the Civil Defense System, which would continue to improve with new experiences and laws, one of the most recent being the Decree Law No. 170, passed in May 1997 by the Council of State regarding the System of Civil Defense Measures.

Several events speak to this process of development.

While Hurricane Michelle, which lashed western-central Cuba at the end of 2001, is considered to have been the most intense to visit Cuba in half a century, caused the deaths of only five people. In contrast, when a cyclone named Flora hit Cuba 30 years ago - in October 1963 to be exact - and went through the eastern region, 1,200 people died.

The Civil Defense National General Staff is the heart of a system composed of all government branches and agencies, institutions, workplaces and each and every citizen. Civil Defense organizes, coordinates and controls the labors of different sectors of society, with the goal of protecting the population, its goods, the country's infrastructure and the economy against any type of disaster.

More than an organization, it is a system of measures, explained Lieutenant Colonel Domingo Víctor Carretero, an expert with the Civil Defense National General Staff who spoke with Granma International.

Every ministry, enterprise, institution and government office has its Plan of Measures in Case of Catastrophe. Moreover, citizens receive instructions in their neighborhoods and communities, and are included in preparation and protection measures.

While emphasis is placed on risks and dangers posed by hurricanes and intense rains, the phenomena that most often tend to strike the country, every community or territory also prepares for events to which they may be vulnerable, such as earthquakes, intense drought, coastal floods, large forest and urban fires or epidemics and animal and plant diseases.

It is precisely with respect to education and training associated with response and general risk reduction that the Civil Defense has created a multifaceted and all-embracing system. It is also differentiated and staggered, Carretero explained, because every citizen receives both general and specific instruction, according to his or her level of authority and role in confronting disaster.

As part of prevention, we can mention strategies that include territorial planning and water works, among others.

After Cyclone Flora, which brought intense rains that gave way to terrible flooding, Cuba began to develop a water supply infrastructure, building reservoirs to dam water.

Unfortunately, there is experience of tragedies befalling other countries, where due to a lack of measures in some cases, many lives have been lost and the economy seriously affected.

For many countries, a natural disaster signifies an economic retreat, at the same time producing worsened living conditions for the people. Hurricane Mitch, for example, turned the clock back 10 years for the Central American economies.

"Our country has been able to confront this type of problem and respond as quickly as possible so that development plans are not set back," affirmed Carretero, who highlighted state will and efforts to that end.

Not only do social and economic programs continue, but also after every disaster, nobody is left bereft for having lost his or her personal belongings.

Hurricane Michelle, for example, destroyed more than 12,500 homes and damaged more than 166,500. Within six months, 51% of homes had been recovered, and one year later, all of them.

Returning to normalcy and restoring living conditions for people who lose their possessions are immediate goals after the passing of a storm or other disaster.

A MASSIVE ARMY

According to forecasts, this year some 13 named meteorological events should occur (that is, tropical storms and cyclones) in the region surrounding Cuba. One of those 13 could pass through the island, given that the probability of such an occurrence is about 70%.

Just a few days before the start of the cyclone season, which begins June 1 and ends November 30, a drill called METEORO takes place in Cuba.

This two-day drill takes place every year. The first day is dedicated to training leaders and experts responsible for the disaster command posts at different levels, who review and draw up the Plan of Measures and the situation of anticipated resources to be utilized, and who coordinate with neighboring authorities or territories in terms of cooperation in the case of a disaster.

On the second day, the general population is mobilized, and together with the specialized forces, undertakes exercises simulating different disaster scenarios. One important aspect is the hygienic operation carried out in workplaces and neighborhoods for cleaning up natural drainage systems and other typical prevention methods for the cyclone season.

While tropical cyclones are the principal danger that METEORO takes into account, each territory simulates a response to other catastrophes. In the eastern region of the country, for example, measures and preparation not only include the danger of hurricanes, but also earthquakes given that seismic activity is frequent there, although of low intensity to date.

The scientific community, health sector, forest rangers, veterinarians, phytosanitary, communications (including ham radio operators and pigeon breeders), and other forces and resources also make that multi-branched tree that is Civil Defense.

It is also impressive to confirm the seriousness and realism with which the population participates in a comprehensive and massive disaster preparation exercise.

"We are better prepared in case of cyclones, because of accumulated experience and because of events that have a slower process of training, and we are improving our abilities to respond to sudden disasters, which are more complex because of their tendency to occur without warning," Carretero noted, explaining that the system is not exempt from insufficiencies and difficulties, which are being overcome by the political will of the government and Communist Party of Cuba and the work of each institution and citizen.

And while the people accept as natural that very few victims are claimed by these natural phenomena, we don't rest on our laurels, and the level of all of society's preparation continues to rise.