Contending with Natural Disasters: Cubans and US Gulf Coast Emergency Managers Continue Conversation
June 1, 2011 | Report
Elizabeth Newhouse reports on CIP's May 2011 delegation to Cuba. This marked the fifth such trip since 2007 that Smith has led to introduce Americans to Cuban methods of battling hurricanes and to explore ways to cooperate. Delegates on this trip included emergency managers from Louisiana, Missippi and Florida. As had earlier groups, these emergency managers found they had much in common with the Cubans in their hurricane preparation and response, while recognizing that Cuba’s centralized government has many advantages when it comes to putting plans into practice.
The delegates were briefed by top managers in the fields of meteorology, emergency medicine and civil defense, as well as the Latin American Medical School, which, like all Cuban medical schools, teaches emergency medicine to all students. They also heard two points of view on U.S.-Cuba relations—from Deputy Foreign Minister Dagoberto Rodriguez and from an officer of the United States Interests Section.
