to the threat of hurricane which has helped keep Cubans far safer than they used to be in earlier times, and it doesn't really mention santería practiced by Fidel Castro as part of the operation:
Preparedness saves lives as hurricane hits Cuba
23 September 2002
Xavier Castellanos in Havana, Cuba
As Hurricane Isidore passed over southwestern Cuba this past weekend, Cuban authorities implemented emergency procedures to evacuate 280,000 people to safety. No loss of life was reported, but many homes and farms have been damaged.
"The hurricane destroyed everything I have, but at least we are alive," said a woman in the municipality of San Juan y Martinez, in Piñar del Rio province, southwest Cuba, whilst showing the local media the shattered remains of her house.
Hers is one of many similar stories following the passage of Hurricane Isidore on 20 September which destroyed and damaged houses and farms, but did not take any human lives thanks to Cuba's well-organized disaster preparedness and response systems.
As soon as news of the hurricane was received, Cuban Civil Defense authorities launched emergency procedures, including phases of warning, alarm, emergency and recuperation –all aimed at saving lives– and 280,000 people were evacuated from their homes in the hours before Isidore made landfall on Cuban territory.
Cubans have understood the need to follow emergency procedures closely when hurricanes threaten to unleash their full force onto the country. Just 10 months ago, only five people died when Hurricane Michelle passed over Cuba, showing how Cubans' take heed of emergency response procedures.
The country's high state of preparedness during the emergency phase of a natural disaster in Cuba means that, when they occur, they are not sensational and dramatic events as sometimes seen in media reports of catastrophes in other countries. Although Hurricane Isidore was destructive, the most notable characteristic of the Cuban response was the implementation of a set of well-organized emergency procedures ensuring rapid and orderly evacuations from high-risk areas.
(snip/...)
http://www.ifrc.org/docs/news/02/092302/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~We've also read and posted articles by Americans working as medical students when hurricanes hit who sent their notes of how the entire island worked together to make things as safe as possible. I've heard that they even take the farm animals to the higher altitudes to keep them from drowning.
By the way, Hugo Chavez has always been a devout Catholic, from what I've heard. No santería, most likely.
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