By Elizabeth Newhouse
Hurricane Irene led the news in August 2011—the deadliest year for the giant storms in the United States since 2008. It killed 45 people and caused at least $7 billion in damage, mainly from flooding in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. The year was also notable as the seventh busiest for hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean since recordkeeping began. Remarkably, Cuba, so often in their path, managed to get through the season without a hit.
Having been struck by 16 major storms in the last decade, however, Cuba never relaxes its vigilance. And, as Wayne Smith’s latest trip to Havana demonstrated, the island continues to have much to teach U.S. Gulf Coast officials about managing hurricanes and other disasters—from preparation to response to recovery. Below is a brief overview of the November 2011 delegation, which included the mayor of Galveston, Texas, and the dean of the Texas State Senate, the sixth trip in the series.