Stupid Cuba: They evacuate people AND pets AND belongings.

[Karmadillo]

And, per CNN, the belongings are stored by the government for safekeeping. And then, after the hurricane, the belongings are returned. Is that backasswards or what? Go USA!

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Thtwudbeme]

6. Ummmmm...ok...yeah....

they don't have anything and they are all hungry.

Just keep on watchin' Fox.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[fleabert]

11. this has what impact on Cuba's hurricane response and readiness?

are you saying there are no american expats? cause there are.

[Thtwudbeme]

16. Oh, don't expect anything intelligent here

just those crappy one-liners the Repubs are famous for.

[fleabert]

19. :-) I edited my first response...a bit lower down...

it was much more direct. i cannot stand these cowards.

[Thtwudbeme]

24. The ones I can't stand are the "welfare queens and cadillac" posters

They pop in, and give us a quote from years ago...ones that have been debunked so many times...and yet we are still supposed to be impressed?

I want to see an original Republican. Just one. I keep waiting, and waiting.

[fleabert]

26. me too.

i got a loud one in my family. that is a treat during the holidays. It's like breaking bread with Rush, Hannity, and o'Liely at the same time, the bullshit just floods the house.

[Thtwudbeme]

28. Oh yuk...it's so weird too....we had this conversation in my Hindu Mandala

class last night. The teacher made a comment about "Conservative intellectuals" and I about had a stroke.

I do not understand how someone "conservative" can be an intellectual.

In my opinion, they just keep wanting to drag us back to a time and place (right now, the 50's in Amerika) that never really existed except on Leave it to Beaver. They never want to admit that June was probably shoving valiums down her throat; Dad was having an affair with his secretary, the older kid was gay...Beaver was probably drafted and killed in Vietnam, and there was an African American family outside town that was starving.

Big issue here for me; reading Jung--(the white supremist facist)

[Thtwudbeme]

13. You know, I just adore that Republican answer to Cuba

it was kinda snappy and funny a decade ago...but, you folks don't ever bother to address the literacy rate, the health care system...anything.

Just your stupid snappy "talking points" that ceased being clever way before Reagan finally admitted he was really dead.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

14. What's THAT got to do with the article? (nt)

[EstimatedProphet]

44. Enough

You have been weighed
You have been measured
And you have been found wanting. Begone. And take your 12 gauge with you.

[fleabert]

7. quite a shot you let off there, 12 guage!

:popcorn:

[HeeBGBz]

18. Suddenly feeling like pizza

I like mine spicy.

[fleabert]

21. with roasted republican on top? nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

10. I Don't Think The El Camino Was Introduced Until 1970 or so...

[RebelOne]

33. Check your facts. 1959 was the first year.

http://www.elcaminostore.com/carpage.htm

[malaise]

2. It's so undemocratic

wicked commies!!!:sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[rodeodance]

3. yes, i heard that yesterday. They just go around with these big storage

containers, load up personal belongings, including refrigerators etc and take to safe place. nice.

[babylonsister]

4. Are you serious? Cuba has dealing with hurricanes

down to a science. And where should people who live on an island store their belongings? I think it's great the gov't gives them a place to put their stuff.

[fleabert]

8. dh saw a bit yesterday, Cuba has the least number of deaths from

hurricanes, yet has the highest rate of direct hits...

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[fleabert]

23. I don't believe you.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

25. why not? n/t

[fleabert]

27. guess.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

37. you don't know hi/her, do you?

I mean...calling someone liar with no basis is a bit rude...

sP

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

40. Oh, I should assume everyone in the Internets is saying the truth.

I better click on that love card someone sent me... oh shit!

There is such a thing as a smell test, you know. Not only that, but search by author too.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

45. i just thought that calling people out in the forums was wrong

just thought I would be equally rude and point out that the person calling someone a liar about their ancestry was just making assumptions...

sP

[fleabert]

47. this should explain it...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=user_profiles&u_id=128462

[fleabert]

48. yes, it was rude, I was confident they deserved it.

I don't toss that out there very often. Haven't missed yet.

[Thtwudbeme]

29. Do you want another US sponsered Batista?

?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

30. Yeah? Well...

I come from Venezuela and Chavez eats Christian blonde babies for breakfast. I win.

[CottonBear]

31. Yawn. Pizza anyone? n/t

[Mika]

39. " it matters little if what they have is destroyed" WTF??

What kind of upside down logic is that? It sounds like the creepy repug Babs Bush logic used on NOLA victims.

I've been to Cuba many times and have many Cuban friends on the island, and, yes, Cuba isn't as materialistic as most Americans are but they do treasure what they do have. That is just the reason why their government emergency agencies help them protect what they do have. Cubans demanded such actions, and they worked for them and got them.

[babylonsister]

20. I saw the same; if any country can be organized

hurricane-wise, it's Cuba.

[Connie_Corleone]

15. I think the OP was sarcasm. nt

[mattclearing]

5. Maybe Chertoff should make an official visit.

He might learn something.

[Silverhair]

12. Very easy for them to do.

They don't have to evacuate over long distances.

If your structure is over 30ft above high tide level, then you are safe from storm surge. It is storm surge that does the really bad damage. Cuba is very hilly, so you only have to evacuate a short distance. Most people can WALK to safety.

The average Cuban doesn't have much so loading it is not a major deal.

[FSogol]

22. LOL, those communists just don't get it.

:sarcasm:

[vptpt]

35. Yeah, if their possessions aren't washed away

they don't have to buy new stuff. Then the corporations don't have the chance to make even more money. Silly Cubans. When will they figure that out?

[CottonBear]

32. Maybe we should send FEMA over to learn how to prepare for a hurricane.

Cuba does an amazing job. They have no choice but to prepare and they really have it down to a science. Very impressive.

[radwriter0555]

34. Those damned socialist commies. Caring about people & pets AND belongings?

They should be attacked, conquered and killed or or or or or something like that. er, yeah.

[Mika]

36. OXFAM America:Cuba a model for disaster prevention and mitigation programs

I've been in Cuba during a hurricane and have seen their action in person.


DISASTER PLANNING ESSENTIAL FOR MINIMIZING RISKS
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/whatwedo/emergencies/asian_floods_2004/background/cubalessons

Oxfam America recently studied the experience of Cuba in its development of disaster prevention and mitigation programs. Situated in the Caribbean Sea, Cuba frequently stands in the way of serious hurricanes. While its neighbors are battered, losing lives and property, Cuba is unusually good at withstanding these calamities, and suffers much fewer dead.

Oxfam’s report, entitled Weathering the Storm: Lessons in Risk Reduction in Cuba cites a number of attributes of Cuba’s risk reduction program that can be applied by other countries. Three in particular are transferable to Asia and other regions:

* Disaster Preparedness: Cuba was especially good at mobilizing entire communities to develop their own disaster preparations. This involves mapping out vulnerable areas of the community, creating emergency plans, and actually simulating emergencies so people can practice evacuations and other measures designed to save lives. When disaster strikes, people know what to do.

* Commitment of Resources: Cuba’s strong central government prioritizes resources for its civil defense department. This helps the country to build up a common understanding of the importance of saving lives, and the citizens trust that their contributions to the government are well used for this purpose. Their collaboration on developing emergency plans helped build confidence in the government, so people trust in the plan they helped develop.

* Communications: The communications system for emergencies in Cuba builds on local resources. Using local radio stations and other media to issue warnings on potential hazards also reinforces the disaster preparations. Since the local population is already involved in mapping risks and creating emergency plans, they are more inclined to act on emergency bulletins. Good communications, packaged simply, and built on existing, commonly used resources, is another way to build trust in disaster preparations.

Cuba is a unique example. There is a strong central government committed to protecting all its citizens, even the poorest and most isolated who are typically the most at risk. The most common natural disaster in Cuba is a hurricane, a threat visible for days and even weeks in advance. Yet building a culture of disaster preparedness, and involving local communities in mitigating risks, are strategies that can be applied in many other places, regardless of how rich or poor a country might be.

[Taxloss]

38. Brown should visit. Does anyone know any good restaurants in Havana?

Waterfront, preferably.

[Toots]

41. A country that cares about it's citizens, what a concept

I bet they even provide health care for all. :shrug:

[Mika]

42. Umm.. Cuba, as a country, IS its citizens.

There is not a land mass separate from the population. Ditto their government. The people of Cuba are what Cuba is, and they work together to make the doings of their system happen.

[realFedUp]

43. Any precautions taken at Gitmo?

Oh yeah...a few hundred people still hanging
out there.

[Karmadillo]

46. Kick

nt