WASHINGTON, June 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A historic meeting took place in Monterrey, Mexico, May 24-25, as Cuban and U.S. hurricane experts gathered to exchange ideas and information just as hurricane season began. However, one participant failed to appear, thanks to untimely interference by the US State Department.
The U.S.-Cuba Hurricane Conference was the first event of its kind. Wayne Smith of the Center for International Policy and co-coordinators Randy Poindexter of New Orleans and Jay Higgenbotham of Mobile assembled participants from along the hard-hit Gulf Coast region to attend the summit. They met with leading Cuban experts to discuss how to better prepare for hurricanes.
Unable to attend was US meteorologist Lixion Avilia, from Miami, FL, who was contacted in Dallas en route to Monterrey by the U.S. State Department and ordered not to attend the conference.
The conference proceeded as planned at the Technologico de Monterrey, hosted by Dr. Victor Lopez Villafane. Guest speakers included Pulitzer Prize winning writers Jed Horne and Mark Schleifstein of the New Orleans Times- Picayune newspaper, LSU Hurricane Center scientist and author Ivor Van Heerden, as well as the emergency management directors Walt Dickerson of Mobile County in Alabama, Joe Spraggins of Harrison County in Mississippi and John Dosh of Pensacola, Florida. Former FEMA officials Phil Cogan and Morrie Goodman from Washington spoke, as did conference organizers Wayne Smith, Randy Poindexter and Jay Higgenbotham.
Cuba was represented by Chief of the Cuban Interests Section in the U.S., Dagoberto Rodriguez, as well as a delegation from the island led by well-known Cuban meteorologist Jose Rubiera who spoke about Cuba's weather prognostications as well as their civil defenses efforts.
Dr. Jose Borges Rodriguez, Dr. Daniel Loriet Andreu, of the Henry Reeve Medical Brigade, and Norys de las Mercedes Maderas of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Relations spoke of the offer of 1,600 medical doctors and 36 tons of medical supplies Cuba was prepared to send to the U.S. in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and what kind of assistance Cuba might provide again in the future. The Henry Reeve Medical Brigade subsequently served Indonesia and Pakistan following major earthquakes.
Participants shared experiences and knowledge of disaster management and preparedness on this rare occasion under a special grant provided by the Ford Foundation. A grant from the Brownstone Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland provided for the Cubans to attend. Conclusions were drawn by all that the conference was a major success, that the dialogue among them must be continued and that the conference must be repeated again next year, this time to include more emergency management directors.
Center for International Policy
CONTACT: Jennifer Schuett of the Center for International Policy,
+1-202-232-3317; or Randy Poindexter, Conference Organizer, +1-504-453-4827
