Several news reports have stated that 900,000 Cubans have evacuated because of of Hurricane Ike. Evacuated to where? Another part of the island? I don’t think Florida all of a sudden has a million more Cubans.
I too would like to know how Cubans handle so many hurricanes each year.
I went to Cuba a couple of years ago; this is what I recall from talking to some of the resort employees.
Cubans tend to get evacuated to the other end of Cuba. The island is relatively long, so often one end will get hit harder than the other, so people just basically dance around the storm in the areas where it is weakest. I don’t recall if the employees said so, but I presume evacuation to friendly neighbouring countries could be a possibility in some extreme cases, but as I said, they never mentioned it.
The government handles everything. The evacuees will receive their evacuation notice, and I believe instructions on what they can/cannot take with them, and buses/trucks/etc come by (or go to rallying points) and gather everyone up. I do recall the employees telling me that animals (cows, chickens, pigs, etc) are also evacuated, since they are so valuable. The evacuees are set up in another town for as long as necessary, and then, once the storm has passed they are transported back to their homes to rebuild/clean up. In time, the government will pay for the rebuilding of destroyed property (I think most houses don’t really belong to the people living there, they belong to the government… Cubans are housed, fed, and educated, though it isn’t always of very high quality). When the next hurricane comes along, they pack up and do it all again.
I was in Cuba less than a year after Katrina hit New Orleans/surrounding area. The employees I spoke to were shocked at the complete lack of involvement of the state/federal government in helping people evacuate, and even more so at the slow/non-existent (depends on perspective!) response in the aftermath. I recall them saying that hurricane and other disaster handling was one of the things Cuba does right, and they were happy for it. Of course, the rest of the night involved a lot of things about life in Canada/the US which they wished they had, but when it came to hurricanes, at least, Cuba has the USA beat!
Cuba is not some tiny Caribbean island like Cozumel. It is nearly 700 miles long (but quite narrow). That’s roughly the distance from New York to Chicago. The storm trackers determine what the critical areas are and people get moved accordingly.
I’d also imagine that it would be relatively safe inland compared to being right on the shore. (I’m no expert in Cuban hurricane evacuation procedures, of course.)
Pretty much what Mnemosyne said. My parents and I (from Puerto Rico) were dismayed at how the goverment handled the whole Katrina thing. I guess for us Caribbeans who regularly are at the mercy of hurricanes, we have realized that we need to be well organized before a hurricane hits. Political system doesn’t matter as much as Cubans may want to think. 
I remember a thread from a few years ago asking how people in islands prepared for hurricanes, and I gave the example that happens back home (similar to Cuba).
In an area like PR or Cuba that gets clobbered with great regularity, doesn’t it make sense to build hurricane-proof homes, or at least local communal shelters?
OK, and how do you build hurricane-proof trees? Sewers? Gas lines?
Often the worst damage isn’t to buildings themselves, it’s to the supporting environment. There’s only so much you can do and sometimes it makes more sense to rebuild than to live in bunkers.
I just saw a segment in the news about the Cuban organization for these events and I am quite impressed, very specially in a country where the government cannot organize a basic economy. The evacuation organization was impressive though. Maybe because they’ve done it quite a few times already and probably because they have planned for it.
I was in China during the earthquake and I also read very good reviews of how the whole thing was handled.
Looking back at Katrina it really makes you wonder what in the heck “the most powerful and successful nation in history” was thinking.
You can’t. But you can make sure that people are not affected (injured/killed) during those times.
Can’t speak for Cuba, but many buildings in Puerto Rico are concrete/cement… IIRC, also in some of the Lesser Antilles the building construction codes are such as to make houses that are better equipped to withstand hurricane force winds. It’s been years since I heard that piece on the news, though. And nah, you’re not living in bunkers.
Paul, in Puerto Rico many of the public schools and community centers that are away from flood-prone areas are considered the refuge centers (so there are many on the whole island). They usually have a kitchen and food supplies on hand, and when they’re activated they get first aid, cot, extra food, etc. People are told over the TV and radio to mobilize, call the civil guard, police, etc. if they need help moving. And also, to minimize the damage from the trees, they’re told to call the authorities to deal with trees that could affect power lines before the winds come.
My family and I never did go to a shelter, we instead passed all the hurricanes in the apartment. But our place had a shelter (basement), and some families in the upper floors did go there (or stayed with relatives). Once a hurricane watch/warning is given, certain laws/orders go in effect (I’m not sure if curfew is one, but I think “price freezing” and some sort of “dry law” are).