The recent torrential rain has caused unusual deluges in the western region of Japan. The rainfall was a record-breaking that has happened once in several decades. The Japan Meteorological Agency issues a special alert in compliance with the above-said assumption. In fact it warned eleven prefectures recently, which was a record-numerous. Fukuoka Prefecture, situated in the northern Kyushu Island, was given alarms for the second time after the last year’s floods.

CUBA SHOWS GOOD EXAMPLE OF PREVENTIVE POLICY AGAINST NATURAL DISASTERS

The world looks earnestly at Cuba.

According to a book, entitled as ‘Reasons why the World Looks at Cuba - a Well-Prepared Country for Natural Disasters’ (published by Tsukiji-Shokan), during ten years between 1996 and 2010 eight hurricanes hit the country. Four out of the eight tropical storms had the same strength as, or greater than, that of the Katrina which attacked the south-eastern states of the United States of America in 2005. They were so destructive, but the book says the casualty toll was extremely low in Cuba.

For instance, in the Hurricane Charlie of 2004, 30 people died in the State of Florida in the US, while in Cuba the number was four. The Hurricane Gustav of 2008 caused many deaths in the US and Haiti, while no one died in Cuba.

Reasons for Successful Posture

Generally speaking, developing countries are more vulnerable to natural disasters, compared with developed ones. Cuba had poor infrastructure against natural disasters, if compared with those of industrially developed nations. Furthermore, the Caribbean nation is imposed by the severe economic blockade in which water and food are scarce, as well as preventive sealing tapes to reinforce windows of buildings. People there, however, have keys: one is administrative power, which enables citizens to leave dangerous zones immediately, and the other is high level consciousness of citizens to natural disasters.

Cuba is usually hit by hurricanes. Leadership of the nation has engaged intensively in studies to foresee the storms. It is because late former President Fidel Castro got furious with the level of the nation’s meteorological sciences, which used to be unreliable to cause catastrophic damages, and he himself studied the related subjects. That was a point of start.

Cuba sets the national headquarters of Meteorological Institute in the capital city of Havana and another 15 branches across the nation to track movements of hurricanes closely.

When a hurricane approaches and the Institute projects risky areas, people return home to secure foodstuff and other necessities. In these regions presidents of the Provinces and Municipios (=Cuban administrative units which count 169 in the country) serve as Commander of Civil Protection Headquarters in each commanding office, called a Citizens’ Defense Center.

These commanding offices of municipalities issue an evacuation order 24 hours before a hurricane hits directly the district and the national government sends buses and other vehicles to transport evacuees if necessary. Sometimes military tanks and helicopters are mobilized for rescue efforts.

Japanese Premier was in Banquet

Premier and his group held a banquet during the heavy rain though a forecast was made that it would be disastrous.

Consciousness and emergency preparedness are in great contrast with Cuban leaders.

July 24, 2018