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Campaign News | Wednesday, 10 September 2008
4 people killed
Over a Million Hurricane Evacuees
Cuban News Agency
HAVANA, Cuba, Sept 8 (acn) Over 1.23 million people have been evacuated in Cuba to protect them from powerful hurricane Ike, said Col. Jose Ernesto Betancourt, from the Civil Defense General Staff on Monday.
In his appearance on the evening radio and TV show The Round Table, Betancourt said that over 925,000 evacuees were staying with friends or relatives, while the rest are at evacuation centers. The total figure of evacuees represents 12 percent of the entire Cuba population. Likewise, 10,263 foreign tourists were relocated before the passing of Ike.
The official also said that 150,000 boarding school students returned to their homes around the country, noting there were no accidents to regret in this process.
Col. Betancourt announced that nationwide there are 81,000 Cubans mobilized to protect the population from the harmful effects of hurricane Ike, and preserve life. Those include 2,400 Army troops.
He added that 1,274 kitchens provide food for over 2,000 shelters and seven thousand vehicles were made available for transportation. He also referred to the special characteristics of this hurricane season with a new record of two hurricanes just eight days apart.
Pinar del Río province and Isla de la Juventud municipality are still recovering from hurricane Gustav and now they are already in the hurricane warning phase with the approach of Ike.
Cuban News Agency
Ike Leaves 4 Dead in Cuba at First Count
HAVANA, Cuba, Sept 8 (acn) Civil defense authorities reported Monday that four Cuban citizens died as a consequence of the passing of Hurricane Ike through Cuba.
Pedro Corso Soto, 76, and Ángel Sánchez Cabello, 35, residents of Rancho Veloz, a town in the Corralillo municipality of Villa Clara province, died when they were trying to dismantle a TV antenna, which fell on the electric lines, and electrocuted them.
Pascual Villafaña Rivera, 35, resident of the city of Camaguey, was hit by a wall of his house which collapsed under the impact of a fallen tree. Carmelina Diéguez Santiesteban, 74, resident of El Negro town, in Banes, Holguin, was inside her home when it collapsed under the heavy winds.
This report of fatalities is preliminary since it doesn't include information from all affected places.
The Civil Defense authorities extended their condolences to the family and friends of the deceased persons and called on the population to follow the protective measures indicated by the local officials to prevent regrettable events like these.
