Take action and donate to help Cuba to rebuild after Hurricane Ian
Campaign News | Thursday, 20 October 2022
The Cuba Solidarity Campaign sends its sympathy and solidarity to all those affected by Hurricane Ian which struck western Cuba on 27 September. Our condolences go out to all of those who have lost their loved ones, homes and livelihoods in Cuba and other countries during this terrible storm.
The province of Pinar del Río suffered significant damage during the Category 3 storm which sustained winds of 125miles (205km) per hour. More than 4,000 homes and 5,000 farms have been totally destroyed and thousands more damaged. Crops, including much of the region’s prized tobacco harvest, have been decimated.
Fifty thousand Cubans were evacuated during the hurricane, however five people sadly lost their lives, and an electricity worker later died while repairing storm damaged power lines in the capital. Cuba’s electricity workers, authorities and community groups have been working around the clock to restore power and clear fallen trees and debris from roads. The entire island was in black out for many hours during and after the storm. Full power was not restored to the capital until Tuesday 4 October, and several parts of Pinar del Río are still without electricity.
The people of Cuba now face a mammoth task to rebuild the affected communities. They must do this while suffering the ongoing effects of a relentless and inhumane blockade, and increasingly severe shortages of food, medicines and fuel exacerbated by the extra sanctions imposed by the Trump administration and maintained by Biden.
CSC once again calls on the US government to end its inhumane blockade of the country so that the Cuban people can access the building materials and equipment they will need to rebuild lives following this tragedy.
It is barbaric and immoral to maintain the blockade while Cuba is in the middle of a national emergency. Yet again, the real objective of the US government – to strangle the Cuban economy and provoke unrest and regime change – is exposed by its intransigence on relaxing sanctions at this critical time. And, by refusing to suspend financial sanctions even temporarily on humanitarian grounds, the hypocrisy and cruelty of those politicians who claim to want to help the Cuban people while vociferously advocating to maintain and strengthen the blockade is laid bare.
Help Cuba recover - End the US blockade
Take Action
Donate
CSC is collecting donations for emergency assistance following the impact of Hurricane Ian. Any funds raised will be used to assist in national recovery efforts.
Donations made through CSC should be clearly marked ‘Hurricane Relief’
You can donate online via our website here
For credit card or bank transfers call +44 (0)20 7490 5715 or email office@cuba-solidarity.org.uk
Please make cheques payable CSC and send to:
Cuba Solidarity Campaign 33-37 Moreland Street, London EC1V 8BB, UK
Material Aid for visitors to Cuba
If you are travelling to Cuba in the near future contact the CSC office for a list of items that Cuba has requested and that visitors could take in their luggage including medical supplies and other materials. Call 44 (0)20 7490 5715 or email office@cuba-solidarity.org.uk
