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Hurricane charley
batters Cuba; CRS responds
Catholic
Relief Services.
August 16, 2004.
August 16, 2004, Baltimore, MD - Catholic
Relief Services (CRS) and local partner
Caritas Cubana are working to assist those
left in need after Hurricane Charley roared
across western Cuba. Hardest hit areas include
the Isle of Youth, off Cuba's southwest
coast, the province of Pinar del Rio and
the capital city of Havana and its environs.
Hurricane Charley, which was a Category
2 storm when it hit Cuba, downed trees and
power lines and left an estimated 20,000
homes damaged or destroyed in Pinar del
Rio and Havana. More than 500 schools and
nearly two dozen health centers were also
damaged by wind gusts that reached up to
102 miles per hour.
"Life is slowly returning to normal,
but there are immediate and long-term needs
that we'll be working to meet," said
Jed Hoffman, Latin America Regional Director
for CRS. "Many of those homes destroyed
were particularly vulnerable to storm damage
to begin with. We'll be working with our
partners to help with necessities in the
days and weeks to come and will look to
provide longer term help in the form of
housing and infrastructure rehabilitation."
Immediate humanitarian needs include clean
water, blankets, mattresses and medicines.
Like the relief assistance, the follow-up
phase of reconstruction assistance will
be channeled through Caritas Cubana to local
diocesan offices.
Catholic Relief Services is the official
international humanitarian agency of the
U.S. Catholic community. The agency provides
assistance to people in 94 countries and
territories on the basis of need, not race,
creed or nationality.
To contribute to Catholic Relief Services,
send donations* to:
Catholic Relief Services
P.O. Box 17090
Baltimore, MD 21203-7090
1-877-HELPCRS
*Please earmark donation on the memo line
of your check to Hurricane Charley/Cuba
relief.
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