Cuban President Says
Country Will Face Hurricane Charley as it Faces Bush
Havana, August 13 (AIN) Cuban President Fidel Castro optimistically asserted on Friday
that Cuba will face any damage inflicted by Hurricane Charley just as it has faced
drought, other difficulties and the most recent package of anti-Cuba measures adopted by
George W. Bush.
In statements to local television broadcast from Cuba's National Meteorology Institute,
Fidel evaluated the ongoing path of Charley emphasizing the Cuban people's experience in
facing this type of natural phenomena.
The Cuban leader said the hurricane, which hit the island precisely on his birthday, will
cross an area where it may inflict the most damage: the capital city.
In a joking manner though, Fidel said he had thought of changing his birthday from the
13th to the 15th to make it coincide with the recall referendum to be held Sunday in
Venezuela; noting that he was sure President Hugo Chavez would win since he working to
guarantee social justice for his people.
Fidel made his statements after midnight on Friday morning, as Havana citizens began to
experience strong gusts produced by the approaching. Charley's sustained winds reached 160
km/h in a capital darkened due to a general power cutoff, a preventive measure used in
such instances to prevent accidents.
The Cuban President spoke with meteorologist Dr. Jose Rubiera as well as Pedro Saez
Montejo, member of the Central Committee of Cuba's Communist Party and First Secretary of
that political
organization in Havana.
Fidel Castro Highlights People's Preparedness in Facing Hurricane
Charley
Havana, August 13 (AIN) Cuban President Fidel Castro said the capital city was thoroughly
prepared to face Hurricane Charley, thus providing Havana the opportunity to considerably
minimize losses.
During the president's visit to Cuba's National Meteorology Institute, experts reported
that the natural phenomenon hit Cuba at 12:15 am local time Friday morning after having
entered the
territory through the Guanimar beach, in southern Habana province.
Hurricane Charley hit the island as it became a Category 2 hurricane on the five-category
Saffir-Simpson scale used to rate hurricanes. The storm sustained 165 km/h winds, though
nearly
200 km/h gusts were reported in areas near the southern town of Batabano.
Fidel referred to the rapid movement of the hurricane, which within 24 hours moved from
the sea off eastern Guantánamo province to areas just below western Cuba.
We were hoping it would not hit the capital city, that it would turn east or west, but
meteorological forecasts have been made; we will see-once it passes through-what damage it
has inflicted,
commented President Castro.
This situation is occurring while the country is still hard at work recovering from two
previous hurricanes that hit the country just a couple of years ago, particularly
Michelle, which was very destructive, explained the Cuban leader.
He said he was concerned about similar damage that could be inflicted by strong winds
hitting areas of the capital city.
However, the Cuban head said, due to the people's mobilization to protect the population
and the economy, this battle against nature could end up victorious. Precautionary
measures already
taken will help minimize the destructive consequences of the storm and will allow rapid
recovery, he pointed out.
In that respect, Fidel cited examples of the efforts such as the protection of greenhouses
crucial for producing vegetables for national consumption and the tourist sector. These
structures, he said, were quickly disassembled but can be set up again in just a few days.
Referring to the preparations made by Cubans to confront such natural phenomena, Fidel
said that after the passing of Hurricane Flora in 1963, the country developed its water
resources; several reservoirs were built and flooding of the Cauto and other rivers were
controlled. These steps made it possible for the country to take better advantage of water
for agriculture uses and local consumption.
However, said Fidel Castro, even with the country's current water storage capacity, more
measures must be taken aimed at saving water. Drought conditions are becoming more severe
each year and we must face them with intelligence, he stressed.
The hurricane is not going to stop our development programs in this great battle, said the
Cuban Revolution's leader. He also said that Charley would hit Havana for only two hours
because it was moving at nearly 20 kilometers per hour.
Bearing in mind the current course of the hurricane, the storm is expected to return to
the sea passing through an area very close to the Havana beach of Santa Fe after 2 a.m.
Friday, said Fidel in conversation with meteorologist Jose Rubiera, head of the
Forecasting Department of the National Meteorology Institute.
President
Chavez´ Victory at Sunday Referendum Inevitable
Havana, Aug 13 (AIN) Even President Hugo Chavez' sworn enemies in the White House and the
discredited Venezuelan opposition have had to admit that Chavez will come out the winner
in Sunday's recall referendum.
The popular, daily Cuban radio and TV program The Round Table focused Thursday on the
latest developments in Venezuela in connection with the upcoming plebiscite, which is
generating
growing citizen support for President Chavez despite the campaigns of the US-financed
opposition.
The Round Table panelists noted that the true battle of Chavez' Bolivarian Revolution has
been against the government of the United States, which has not ceased its brazen efforts
to overthrow the constitutional order in Venezuela.
The experts pointed to recent statements by a representative of the Organization American
of States in Venezuela, who asserted that the National Electoral Council -the CNE- has
available the most modern means and technology to guarantee a fair poll.
Venezuelan authorities and international observers have demanded that the results to be
declared by the CNE be respected and have deplored attempts by oppositionists to announce
partial results on their own accounts.
The Round Table also made note of what it described as desperate, last minute actions by
the oligarchic, wealthy opposition, such as a public rally on Thursday they sponsored,
which was countered by hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who showed up before the
government's Palacio de Miraflores headquarters in support of President Chávez./2004Hurricane Charley Leaves Cuba
Heading for Florida
Havana, August 13 (AIN) Hurricane Charley left Cuba during early Friday morning hours.
Preliminary information reveals that the natural phenomena developed 165 kilometer per
hour (km/hr) winds and gusts of over 200 km/h as it traveled through the city of Havana
and Havana province.
At 2:30 a.m. Friday, sustain maximum winds were reported at 88 km/h and wind gusts at 141
km/h. Heavy rains were expected to continue over the next two or three hours and would
gradually diminish as the hurricane quickly headed north. Coastal floods were occurring
due to sea penetration on the southern coasts of Havana and Matanzas provinces; this
included a sea-level rise of up to five meters on the Havana southern coast, particularly
along the Cajio and Rosario beaches.
At 3:00 a.m., the center of the hurricane was estimated to be 30 kilometers northwest of
the town of Mariel, at 23.3 north and 82.7 west. Over the following few hours Charley
moved at 25 kilometers per hour along north-northwest and due north trajectories.
Charley maintained maximum sustained winds of 165 km/h and was a Category 2 hurricane
according to the five-category Saffir-Simpson hurricane ranking scale. Its central
pressure was set at 973 mb. According to forecasts, Charley will continue to strengthen
and may reach Category 3, a high intensity hurricane, by the time it reaches Florida over
the next 12 or 24 hours. It continued to increase speed as it left Cuba on Friday from the
area between Baracoa beach and the town of Mariel on Havana province's northern coast
Fidel Castro Sends Birthday Message to Cuban Political Prisoner
Held in US
Havana, August 13 (AIN) Cuban President Fidel Castro sent a special birthday greeting and
warm embrace to Rene Gonzalez, one of five Cuban political prisoners jailed in the United
States.
It is an honor for me to have been born on a day like today, said the Cuban Revolution's
leader, who celebrates his 78th birthday on August 13th, the same date as that of Rene's.
We feel great admiration for your firmness and we are sure that justice will prevail; time
is not the most important thing, though I hope that we will soon celebrate our birthdays
together, said Fidel Castro.
In statements to the press during his visit to the Cuban Meteorology Institute, where he
evaluated the passage of Hurricane Charley across western Cuba, Fidel Castro referred to
the ongoing international campaign in solidarity with the Cuban Five, sentenced for having
fought against terrorism.
At present, the world is taking vigorous actions in support of justice and against the
abuses committed against our five countrymen, stressed Fidel.
The Cuban Revolution leader assured that the five men will join the list of the most
revered Cuban patriots and that the people will struggle until their last breath making
truth prevail so that the Five can return home.
René González, Ramón Labañino, Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero and Fernando
González are incarcerated in the United States and are serving unfair and long sentences
for preventing anti-Cuba terrorist actions from being organized in the US.
The Cuban people on the island and hundreds of solidarity committees around the world are
waging a tremendous struggle for the Five's release.
/2004
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