Lenin's Law
28th September 2008, 20:51
Received this report on the situation in Cuba regarding the response to Hurricane Gustav and thought others might be interested to read about it as well:
Hola all:
The TV coverage here in Cuba on the impact of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike
is very instructive, not just in showing clearly the extent of damages,
but in giving a sense of the feelings and spirit of the people through
many, many different testimonies. I notice that in much of the reporting
outside the country, there's not much commentary on this aspect, which
is as important - if not more so in the long run - as the statistics on
damages.
One comment repeated over and over by men, women, old, young, often
while standing in front of a pile of rubble that was once their home,
often in tears, is that they know that their country, their Revolution,
won't abandon them in their time of need. For instance, as of yesterday
(Tuesday) noon, some 88% of the population was receiving electricity -
in many areas by generators (part of Cuba's Energy Revolution as well as
preparing for disasters - although many parts of Las Tunas, Holguin,
Camaguey, Pinar del Rio and Isla de la Juventud are still with
difficulties.
Yesterday, I was also struck by another comment made by an elderly
gentleman in Holguin, I think it was, who said (on TV) that Cubans have
long known how to help other people in need elsewhere in the world, and
that he's confident that they won't hesitate to help each other in this
great time of need.
And this is indeed what is happening. For example, in Havana, the entire
city is in the process of being organized at the grassroots level to
give people-to-people assistance to the provinces of Pinar del Rio and
Provincia Habana, with different municipalities being "twinned" with
designated areas in these two provinces. This is happening elsewhere in
the country, with provinces and areas that are less affected helping
those provinces and areas near them that are more affected. It's a
"people's response" above and beyond the professional brigades of
electricians, construction workers and others who are being sent from
one area to another, and it's being done through the mass organizations
such as the Committees in Defense of the Revolution (CDRs), the Cuban
Women's Federation (FMC), zonal groups, residents' groups, etc.
Meetings are starting to take place at the circumscription levels, such
as what happened Sunday night (14th) in La Ceiba, located along the
Almendares River in the Puentes Grandes areas of Playa Municipality here
in Havana. My friend Caridad, who lives there and who is a social worker
and local community organizer, told me about the three different
meetings that were held throughout the day, with three different
circumscriptions. Some 60 to 70 people attended each meeting, with
discussions ranging around the need for solidarity, the need for local
clean up as quickly as possible, and the need to help others. The first
task to be done was cleaning up the neighbourhoods of rubble and fallen
branches. Some days earlier trucks and tractors had passed through
residential and other areas collecting the heavier debris, but there was
still lots of leaves and smaller branches all over the place. After the
clean up, a clothing drive will take place in La Ceiba (and elsewhere)
organized by the Women's Federation. And today, Caridad told me that in
the municipality of 10 de Octuber, people are starting to organize
donations of household goods for communities in the municipality of
Alquizar, located in the central southwestern part of Provincia Habana.
In my own neighbourhood, Vedado, located in Plaza Municipality, we did
the final clean-up on Sunday, and now we're waiting for notification of
when the circumscriptions will be meeting.
It's small stuff, eh? The immense needs all over the country - some
people being evacuated at the last moment because of flash floods in
areas that don't traditionally flood, and having only the clothing on
their back to show for the home they used to have - and the few things
that any given Cuban family can turn over to others. Small stuff
compared to the latest official statistics - still preliminary - that
show over 444,000 houses affected of which over 63,000 are totally
destroyed, over 4,000 tons (preliminary figures) of warehoused
foodstuffs affected nationwide - not including destruction of crops in
the fields and significant losses in poultry rearing, with hundreds of
thousands of animals literally gone with the wind (!), and damages to
electricity, water systems, in short, the entire infrastructure of the
country including schools, clinics, hospitals. Just imagine an entire
country hit by Katrina from one end to the other and you'll get an idea
of the devastation! Preliminary estimates by Cuba is that losses are in
the range of $5 billion.
And Cuba itself has said, very clearly, that its own reserves won't
begin to cover the country's needs for recuperation and reconstruction,
let alone for feeding the population in the short term. That's another
point, by the way, that should be kept in mind: inside the country we're
being kept very informed about the situation. We know what kinds of
reserves Cuba has and how they're used, as well as the decision-making
process for their distribution. We know the extent of damages, which are
updated every time we turn on the TV and/or radio or read the newspaper.
We know about the assistance that's already coming into the country and
where it's going, and about which I won't say much here as I know
there's lots of information about this available in the international
media. We know about the "offers" from the US, first of a paltry
$100,000 and then of $5 million, and why Cuba has said a categorical NO
as it's not aid but "aid with strings", that is, the US will only give
it if Cuba accepts a US inspection team - something which no other
country or organization in the world makes as a condition to hurricane
assistance. (Plus Cuba has its own proven capacity to make its own
assessments.)
So it seems like small stuff when one talks about neighbourhood clothing
drives and cooking utensils drives and so forth. Except that it's NOT
small staff, as this kind of mobilization within the country is what
shows, more than anything else, the spirit and determination of the
Cuban people to not only survive, but to eventually surpass the very
difficult blow that the country has received.
For the past week, or rather since the weather has calmed down and
turned once again to hot and clear days and we're starting to get the
full dimension of the terrible damage that has been done to Cuba by two
back-to-back category 4 hurricanes, I've been thinking about numbers.
Here in Cuba. In Haiti. In Jamaica. In the Dominican Republic. In
Galveston.
Numbers. Statistics. Percentages. They can be overwhelming. They can be
so overwhelming that they can sometimes, without our wanting it to
happen, distance us from the very human face of the disaster. It's a
normal reaction. It's a self-protective reaction.
But if we distance ourselves from the very human face of calamity, we
also distance ourselves from the very human face of what people are
doing to try to recover from such great losses. Ultimately, we distance
ourselves from ourselves.
We must also always remember that what we are seeing in Cuba or Haiti or
Galveston or anywhere else in the world is directly related to the
damage that is being done to the planetary environment, to climate
change. Just looking at where I live and work, Cuba, there's no question
but that hurricanes have become more frequent and more intense in the
past decade. People living along the eastern and Gulf coasts of the
United States know this as well. The world's ecosystem has been damaged
and is screaming out its pain in hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes,
inundations, Arctic meltdowns...
It's large, isn't it - the problem that faces us. It's overwhelming too,
the dimension of the task. But it's also imperative that we see, and
talk about, and mobilize around, the crisis not just here in Cuba, but
the worldwide crisis that is affecting us all.
But now, to return more directly to Cuba: I see the damage. I hear the
numbers. And I try to humanize it, to feel the human face behind the
numbers. Because today it's Jorge and Anabela and Luisa in Baracoa and
Pinar del Rio and the Isla, but tomorrow it can as easily be George or
Elizabeth or Steven in Toronto or Winnipeg or New York or San Francisco.
I'd like to tell you a few individual stories.
As mentioned above, over 63,000 houses have been completely destroyed, meaning at least 200,000 people homeless. One of these houses belonged
to the daughter, Yannara, of a very dear friend on mine in Baracoa, on
the northern coast of Guantanamo province and one of the first areas
affected by Ike. Yannara is 27-years-old and is in her fourth year of
socio-cultural studies. Here husband Giomanis is 29-years old and works
in a state structure repairing computers. They have two small daughters,
eight-month-old Ingrid and two-year-old Isabel (known as Isabelita since
she was born). They lived in a simple house located behind Hotel La Rusa
- for those of you who know Baracoa - about a block and a half from the
Malecon or seawall. After Ike, only the front wall remained of their
house, and all the other houses between them and the Malecon were also
destroyed. The only things Yannara and Giomanis were able to salvage
from the rubble is some clothing, a couple of fans, four chairs (but the
table was lost). Everything else disappeared: the air conditioner, all
kitchen pots and pans and utensils, all bathroom fixtures, etc. Even the
fridge was carried away by ocean swells, etc. The day after Ike passed,
two government commissions came by, the first to make note of damages
and destruction to houses, and the second to make note of what people
lost from inside their homes. Yannara and her family are now temporarily
crowded into her parent's home. Others without immediate family in
Baracoa have been taken to evacuation centres in the area. Nuns from the
local Catholic Church gave out some detergent, tooth brushes and
toothpaste to people who were affected. Yannara says that the
agricultural markets are largely empty and that some people who have
small farms on the outskirts of Baracoa are walking around selling
tomatoes and onions and a few other things. The government is already
distributing doors and windows to people who had lesser damages to their
houses, and roofing sheets have also arrived. Inbetween her tears she
kept saying "but we'll come out of this, we're already getting
assistance," This was the situation as of last Sunday (14th).
Multiply this story by 200,000.
Another friend in Baracoa, 78-year-old Cuca, didn't suffer damage to her
house. But the five-hectare family farm in Maisi, which in addition to
growing coffee for the state is also a source of fruit and vegetables
and meat for the extended family, was seriously damaged. All the coffee
plants were knocked down as well as many of the large fruit trees that
shaded the coffee plants. She says that everyone in that area has
similar losses. Then she paused for a moment on the phone, and said
"There is the United States it's individual, but here at least everyone
helps each other. People share the little bit of kerosene or alcohol
that they have for cooking, and we also share our food so that no one
goes hungry while we're trying to get back to normal."
The culture of collectivism. I've talked about this before. It's another
thing that helps Cubans get through tough times like this - and there's
nothing "little" about it! No one needs to make "individual claims" to
private insurance companies. They're in it together. And so is the
state.
And a final story I'd like to share with you, this one from beautiful
Vinales in the province of Pinar del Rio. Last weekend I got a call from
my dear friend Jesus. An extraordinary man. He's a poet, artist and
researcher - as well as a member of the Municipal Historical Commission
- who, motived by his love of nature, has dedicated the past 40 years of
his life to investigating fossils, animal life and medicinal plants
throughout the Vinales valley area. Alongside his home, located just a
stone.s throw (baseball throw?) from the local Baseball Stadium, he has
developed a wonderful, magical garden where he displays endemic plants
and fossils that he.s collected from all around the area, and where the
entry is .guarded. by a three-metre-high cement baby Tyrannosaurus rex.
Locally known as the Parque Prehistorico de Referencia National, some
years ago his garden was declared a National Reference Site by the
Ministry of Agriculture as a model of a creative way to use a small bit
of land surrounding one's home. His garden is regularly visited by
students, researchers, UNESCO and European Union representatives and
interested Cubans and international tourists.
Then came first Gustav and then Ike, and Vinales was without electricity
for over two weeks. I tried calling Jesus but couldn't get through, as
his phone goes on and off with the electrical supply. Finally, the rains
stopped and some small generators were brought in, giving people at
least some electricity during the day. It's still not constant as the
generators can't meet the full-time needs of everyone at the same time.
So it rotates. Jesus lots of zinc roofing sheet on half of his house.
His daughter Luisa who lives next door lose her entire roof. During the
cycles, while Jesus was trying to save the plants, the family was trying
to keep the house in one piece, as there was lots of water entry through
the window shutters and doors. All the large trees - avocado, mango,
other fruit and ornamental - were lost, but some of the smaller plants
managed to survive. The damage inventory commission has already been by,
but it'll take years for Jesus to get his garden back to what it was.
Which brings me to another face of the crisis which we must also keep in
mind. In addition to seriously damaging a built infrastructure, a
hurricane also damages dreams, rather, the realized efforts of making
dreams a reality. For me, Jesus's garden is a perfect example of this.
As Luisa said, if Jesus were going through this alone, he would be as
devastated as his garden. But he's not. He's already making plans for
replanting while they wait for the new roof for his daughter's house and
some construction assistance for his own.
This - the spiritual and psychological impact of the destruction - is
one of the reasons that well-known Cuban singers, troubadours,
musicians, comic groups and actors / actresses have been going around to
the cities and small towns that have suffered the greatest devastation.
When they arrive, the people, who have been informed beforehand, are
already waiting for them. Performances are given to one and all, with
the artists spending a full day in each location they visit. While these
performances don't solve the serious material situation in which
hundreds of thousands of cubans find themselves, they provide a kind of
spiritual help, and are yet another concrete reminder to those living in
remote areas that they're not forgotten.
Again, an apparently small thing. And yet resistance and reconstruction
- indeed the Cuban Revolution itself - has been made by seemingly small
things repeated over and over again. Because, at the end of the day,
it's only with the energies and willingness of the people themselves
that, as Jose Marti said, the impossible becomes possible!
Abrazos para todos,
Susan Hurlich
Hola all:
The TV coverage here in Cuba on the impact of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike
is very instructive, not just in showing clearly the extent of damages,
but in giving a sense of the feelings and spirit of the people through
many, many different testimonies. I notice that in much of the reporting
outside the country, there's not much commentary on this aspect, which
is as important - if not more so in the long run - as the statistics on
damages.
One comment repeated over and over by men, women, old, young, often
while standing in front of a pile of rubble that was once their home,
often in tears, is that they know that their country, their Revolution,
won't abandon them in their time of need. For instance, as of yesterday
(Tuesday) noon, some 88% of the population was receiving electricity -
in many areas by generators (part of Cuba's Energy Revolution as well as
preparing for disasters - although many parts of Las Tunas, Holguin,
Camaguey, Pinar del Rio and Isla de la Juventud are still with
difficulties.
Yesterday, I was also struck by another comment made by an elderly
gentleman in Holguin, I think it was, who said (on TV) that Cubans have
long known how to help other people in need elsewhere in the world, and
that he's confident that they won't hesitate to help each other in this
great time of need.
And this is indeed what is happening. For example, in Havana, the entire
city is in the process of being organized at the grassroots level to
give people-to-people assistance to the provinces of Pinar del Rio and
Provincia Habana, with different municipalities being "twinned" with
designated areas in these two provinces. This is happening elsewhere in
the country, with provinces and areas that are less affected helping
those provinces and areas near them that are more affected. It's a
"people's response" above and beyond the professional brigades of
electricians, construction workers and others who are being sent from
one area to another, and it's being done through the mass organizations
such as the Committees in Defense of the Revolution (CDRs), the Cuban
Women's Federation (FMC), zonal groups, residents' groups, etc.
Meetings are starting to take place at the circumscription levels, such
as what happened Sunday night (14th) in La Ceiba, located along the
Almendares River in the Puentes Grandes areas of Playa Municipality here
in Havana. My friend Caridad, who lives there and who is a social worker
and local community organizer, told me about the three different
meetings that were held throughout the day, with three different
circumscriptions. Some 60 to 70 people attended each meeting, with
discussions ranging around the need for solidarity, the need for local
clean up as quickly as possible, and the need to help others. The first
task to be done was cleaning up the neighbourhoods of rubble and fallen
branches. Some days earlier trucks and tractors had passed through
residential and other areas collecting the heavier debris, but there was
still lots of leaves and smaller branches all over the place. After the
clean up, a clothing drive will take place in La Ceiba (and elsewhere)
organized by the Women's Federation. And today, Caridad told me that in
the municipality of 10 de Octuber, people are starting to organize
donations of household goods for communities in the municipality of
Alquizar, located in the central southwestern part of Provincia Habana.
In my own neighbourhood, Vedado, located in Plaza Municipality, we did
the final clean-up on Sunday, and now we're waiting for notification of
when the circumscriptions will be meeting.
It's small stuff, eh? The immense needs all over the country - some
people being evacuated at the last moment because of flash floods in
areas that don't traditionally flood, and having only the clothing on
their back to show for the home they used to have - and the few things
that any given Cuban family can turn over to others. Small stuff
compared to the latest official statistics - still preliminary - that
show over 444,000 houses affected of which over 63,000 are totally
destroyed, over 4,000 tons (preliminary figures) of warehoused
foodstuffs affected nationwide - not including destruction of crops in
the fields and significant losses in poultry rearing, with hundreds of
thousands of animals literally gone with the wind (!), and damages to
electricity, water systems, in short, the entire infrastructure of the
country including schools, clinics, hospitals. Just imagine an entire
country hit by Katrina from one end to the other and you'll get an idea
of the devastation! Preliminary estimates by Cuba is that losses are in
the range of $5 billion.
And Cuba itself has said, very clearly, that its own reserves won't
begin to cover the country's needs for recuperation and reconstruction,
let alone for feeding the population in the short term. That's another
point, by the way, that should be kept in mind: inside the country we're
being kept very informed about the situation. We know what kinds of
reserves Cuba has and how they're used, as well as the decision-making
process for their distribution. We know the extent of damages, which are
updated every time we turn on the TV and/or radio or read the newspaper.
We know about the assistance that's already coming into the country and
where it's going, and about which I won't say much here as I know
there's lots of information about this available in the international
media. We know about the "offers" from the US, first of a paltry
$100,000 and then of $5 million, and why Cuba has said a categorical NO
as it's not aid but "aid with strings", that is, the US will only give
it if Cuba accepts a US inspection team - something which no other
country or organization in the world makes as a condition to hurricane
assistance. (Plus Cuba has its own proven capacity to make its own
assessments.)
So it seems like small stuff when one talks about neighbourhood clothing
drives and cooking utensils drives and so forth. Except that it's NOT
small staff, as this kind of mobilization within the country is what
shows, more than anything else, the spirit and determination of the
Cuban people to not only survive, but to eventually surpass the very
difficult blow that the country has received.
For the past week, or rather since the weather has calmed down and
turned once again to hot and clear days and we're starting to get the
full dimension of the terrible damage that has been done to Cuba by two
back-to-back category 4 hurricanes, I've been thinking about numbers.
Here in Cuba. In Haiti. In Jamaica. In the Dominican Republic. In
Galveston.
Numbers. Statistics. Percentages. They can be overwhelming. They can be
so overwhelming that they can sometimes, without our wanting it to
happen, distance us from the very human face of the disaster. It's a
normal reaction. It's a self-protective reaction.
But if we distance ourselves from the very human face of calamity, we
also distance ourselves from the very human face of what people are
doing to try to recover from such great losses. Ultimately, we distance
ourselves from ourselves.
We must also always remember that what we are seeing in Cuba or Haiti or
Galveston or anywhere else in the world is directly related to the
damage that is being done to the planetary environment, to climate
change. Just looking at where I live and work, Cuba, there's no question
but that hurricanes have become more frequent and more intense in the
past decade. People living along the eastern and Gulf coasts of the
United States know this as well. The world's ecosystem has been damaged
and is screaming out its pain in hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes,
inundations, Arctic meltdowns...
It's large, isn't it - the problem that faces us. It's overwhelming too,
the dimension of the task. But it's also imperative that we see, and
talk about, and mobilize around, the crisis not just here in Cuba, but
the worldwide crisis that is affecting us all.
But now, to return more directly to Cuba: I see the damage. I hear the
numbers. And I try to humanize it, to feel the human face behind the
numbers. Because today it's Jorge and Anabela and Luisa in Baracoa and
Pinar del Rio and the Isla, but tomorrow it can as easily be George or
Elizabeth or Steven in Toronto or Winnipeg or New York or San Francisco.
I'd like to tell you a few individual stories.
As mentioned above, over 63,000 houses have been completely destroyed, meaning at least 200,000 people homeless. One of these houses belonged
to the daughter, Yannara, of a very dear friend on mine in Baracoa, on
the northern coast of Guantanamo province and one of the first areas
affected by Ike. Yannara is 27-years-old and is in her fourth year of
socio-cultural studies. Here husband Giomanis is 29-years old and works
in a state structure repairing computers. They have two small daughters,
eight-month-old Ingrid and two-year-old Isabel (known as Isabelita since
she was born). They lived in a simple house located behind Hotel La Rusa
- for those of you who know Baracoa - about a block and a half from the
Malecon or seawall. After Ike, only the front wall remained of their
house, and all the other houses between them and the Malecon were also
destroyed. The only things Yannara and Giomanis were able to salvage
from the rubble is some clothing, a couple of fans, four chairs (but the
table was lost). Everything else disappeared: the air conditioner, all
kitchen pots and pans and utensils, all bathroom fixtures, etc. Even the
fridge was carried away by ocean swells, etc. The day after Ike passed,
two government commissions came by, the first to make note of damages
and destruction to houses, and the second to make note of what people
lost from inside their homes. Yannara and her family are now temporarily
crowded into her parent's home. Others without immediate family in
Baracoa have been taken to evacuation centres in the area. Nuns from the
local Catholic Church gave out some detergent, tooth brushes and
toothpaste to people who were affected. Yannara says that the
agricultural markets are largely empty and that some people who have
small farms on the outskirts of Baracoa are walking around selling
tomatoes and onions and a few other things. The government is already
distributing doors and windows to people who had lesser damages to their
houses, and roofing sheets have also arrived. Inbetween her tears she
kept saying "but we'll come out of this, we're already getting
assistance," This was the situation as of last Sunday (14th).
Multiply this story by 200,000.
Another friend in Baracoa, 78-year-old Cuca, didn't suffer damage to her
house. But the five-hectare family farm in Maisi, which in addition to
growing coffee for the state is also a source of fruit and vegetables
and meat for the extended family, was seriously damaged. All the coffee
plants were knocked down as well as many of the large fruit trees that
shaded the coffee plants. She says that everyone in that area has
similar losses. Then she paused for a moment on the phone, and said
"There is the United States it's individual, but here at least everyone
helps each other. People share the little bit of kerosene or alcohol
that they have for cooking, and we also share our food so that no one
goes hungry while we're trying to get back to normal."
The culture of collectivism. I've talked about this before. It's another
thing that helps Cubans get through tough times like this - and there's
nothing "little" about it! No one needs to make "individual claims" to
private insurance companies. They're in it together. And so is the
state.
And a final story I'd like to share with you, this one from beautiful
Vinales in the province of Pinar del Rio. Last weekend I got a call from
my dear friend Jesus. An extraordinary man. He's a poet, artist and
researcher - as well as a member of the Municipal Historical Commission
- who, motived by his love of nature, has dedicated the past 40 years of
his life to investigating fossils, animal life and medicinal plants
throughout the Vinales valley area. Alongside his home, located just a
stone.s throw (baseball throw?) from the local Baseball Stadium, he has
developed a wonderful, magical garden where he displays endemic plants
and fossils that he.s collected from all around the area, and where the
entry is .guarded. by a three-metre-high cement baby Tyrannosaurus rex.
Locally known as the Parque Prehistorico de Referencia National, some
years ago his garden was declared a National Reference Site by the
Ministry of Agriculture as a model of a creative way to use a small bit
of land surrounding one's home. His garden is regularly visited by
students, researchers, UNESCO and European Union representatives and
interested Cubans and international tourists.
Then came first Gustav and then Ike, and Vinales was without electricity
for over two weeks. I tried calling Jesus but couldn't get through, as
his phone goes on and off with the electrical supply. Finally, the rains
stopped and some small generators were brought in, giving people at
least some electricity during the day. It's still not constant as the
generators can't meet the full-time needs of everyone at the same time.
So it rotates. Jesus lots of zinc roofing sheet on half of his house.
His daughter Luisa who lives next door lose her entire roof. During the
cycles, while Jesus was trying to save the plants, the family was trying
to keep the house in one piece, as there was lots of water entry through
the window shutters and doors. All the large trees - avocado, mango,
other fruit and ornamental - were lost, but some of the smaller plants
managed to survive. The damage inventory commission has already been by,
but it'll take years for Jesus to get his garden back to what it was.
Which brings me to another face of the crisis which we must also keep in
mind. In addition to seriously damaging a built infrastructure, a
hurricane also damages dreams, rather, the realized efforts of making
dreams a reality. For me, Jesus's garden is a perfect example of this.
As Luisa said, if Jesus were going through this alone, he would be as
devastated as his garden. But he's not. He's already making plans for
replanting while they wait for the new roof for his daughter's house and
some construction assistance for his own.
This - the spiritual and psychological impact of the destruction - is
one of the reasons that well-known Cuban singers, troubadours,
musicians, comic groups and actors / actresses have been going around to
the cities and small towns that have suffered the greatest devastation.
When they arrive, the people, who have been informed beforehand, are
already waiting for them. Performances are given to one and all, with
the artists spending a full day in each location they visit. While these
performances don't solve the serious material situation in which
hundreds of thousands of cubans find themselves, they provide a kind of
spiritual help, and are yet another concrete reminder to those living in
remote areas that they're not forgotten.
Again, an apparently small thing. And yet resistance and reconstruction
- indeed the Cuban Revolution itself - has been made by seemingly small
things repeated over and over again. Because, at the end of the day,
it's only with the energies and willingness of the people themselves
that, as Jose Marti said, the impossible becomes possible!
Abrazos para todos,
Susan Hurlich