U.S. Provides Hurricane Assistance to Cuba

U.S. Provides Hurricane Assistance to Cuba

Last update: 4:50 p.m. EDT Sept. 5, 2008
Washington, Sept 05, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The U.S.
government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID), has approved $100,000 in emergency relief funds to help meet
the immediate needs of those in Cuba affected by Hurricane Gustav.
On August 30, Hurricane Gustav passed over western Cuba as a Category
Four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with winds of 150 mph. The
hurricane produced heavy rains, and affected approximately 400,000
people, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA).
On September 3, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies reported seven deaths. In Isla de la Juventud
Province, the hurricane impacted more than 90,000 individuals, damaged
homes and infrastructure, and destroyed the electrical grid, according
to Government of Cuba officials. According to the Pinar del Rio Civil
Defense Committee, the hurricane damaged an estimated 86,000 homes, 80
electric towers, and 600 electric posts in Pinar del Rio Province. In
addition, crops including banana, citrus, coffee, rice, sugar cane, and
tobacco sustained significant damage, according to OCHA.
On September 3, U.S. Chief of Mission Jonathan D. Farrar issued a
disaster declaration in response to the effects of the hurricane.
For more information about USAID and its programs in support of the
Cuban people, please visit: www.usaid.gov.
Public Information: 202-712-4810
SOURCE U.S. Agency for International Development

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