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In Brief
Appeal No. 20/04; Operations Update no. 2; Period covered: 21 January 2005 to 22 April 2005; Appeal coverage: 9.1%; (click here to go directly to the attached Contributions List, also available on the website).
Appeal history:
Launched on 8 September 2004 for CHF 2,419,000 (USD 1,905,168 or EUR 1,576,163) for 6 months to assist 25,000 beneficiaries (5,000 families).
Appeal timeframe extended for four months to 8 July 2005
Disaster Relief Emergency Funds (DREF) allocated: CHF 100,000
Outstanding needs: CHF 2,121,323 (USD 1,824,674 o EUR 1,398,709)
Related Emergency or Annual Appeals: Caribbean: Hurricane Ivan Emergency Appeal (21/04)
Operational Summary: To date, efforts to assist beneficiaries affected by Hurricane Charley have focused mainly on the distribution of zinc sheeting. Thus far, 13,349 sheets have been distributed in the municipalities of Guira de Melena and Alquizar in the province of La Habana. In total 341 homes have been repaired, benefiting 1,254 people. In addition, 20 generators have been distributed to branches of the Cuban Red Cross (CRC) to strengthen the response capacity of the National Society. In April, a water safety workshop was carried out in the capital city of Havana to increase the capacity of the Cuban Red Cross' Water Safety Programme. Activities in this emergency appeal have been limited by a serious lack of funding, as only 9.1 percent of the total requested amount has been received. Additional funds are urgently needed to ensure that the needs of beneficiaries affected by Hurricane Charley are sufficiently met. Given the lack of funding and the slow pace of implementation, the appeal timeframe has been extended for four months to 8 July 2005.
Background
On 13 August 2004, Cuba was severely impacted by the passage of Hurricane Charley which hit at 12.15 hours in the region of Punta Cayama, between Guanimar and El Cajío, on the south coast of the Province of La Habana. Hurricane Charley, a category 3 storm, hit the Provinces of Ciudad de la Habana and La Habana with fierce winds of 170 kph and squalls of over 200 kph. The passage of the storm resulted in flooding of low-lying areas of the south coast, in particular in the Province of La Habana. In anticipation of the storm, the Civil Defence ensured evacuation of 215,532 people from high-risk areas, of whom 35,794 took refuge in temporary shelters, whilst the remainder stayed with families and friends. As a result of the passage of Hurricane Charley, over 70,000 homes incurred damage and thousands of hectares of crops were spoiled. Early reports indicate that around 8,000 trees were uprooted and 95 per cent of sugarcane, bean and banana crops have been seriously affected. The electricity, water and telephone networks were also severely affected. In addition, in the two Provinces, 798 schools and 312 health centres were damaged.
Incoming damage reports indicated that the Province of La Habana was the most severely affected by the Hurricane. Search and rescue operations have been finalized. The Cuban authorities undertook preventive measures to avoid the outbreak of disease, given the damage to health centres. Red Cross volunteers worked to support these government initiatives. In the Province of Pinar del Río, telephone communication was interrupted over an eleven day period, although, overall, the Province was less affected by the passage of the hurricane. The current situation in the capital where water is trucked in with tankers is not linked to the hurricane, but rather to drought conditions which were prevalent before Hurricane Charley hit the country. Nevertheless, water systems were further disrupted as a result of the force of the Hurricane.
Operational developments
The Cuban Red Cross and the Federation have been working together with government authorities from the Department of International Relations to ensure the provision of wood materials needed complete the installation of zinc sheeting in areas affected by the passage of Hurricane Charley. The CRC has also been working with the government to ensure the provision of fuel for the transportation of zinc sheeting from storage warehouses to the selected communities.
For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:
In Cuba: Cuban Red Cross, Dr. Luis Foyo Ceballos, Executive President; email crsn@infoed.sld.cu, phone (53) 7 228 272, fax (53) 7 228 272
In Panama: Xavier Castellanos, Regional Disaster Management Delegate, Panama Regional Delegation; email ifrcpa90@ifrc.org, phone (507) 317-1300, fax (507) 317-1304
In Geneva: Luis Luna, Federation Regional Officer, Americas Department, Geneva; email luis.luna@ifrc.org, phone (41 22) 730-4273, fax (41 22) 733-0395
All International Federation assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of Conduct and is committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable. For support to or for further information concerning Federation programmes or operations in this or other countries, or for a full description of the national society profile, please access the Federation's website at http://www.ifrc.org
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