Appeal 150 route de Ferney, P.O. Box 2100 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland

Tel: 41 22 791 6033 Fax: 41 22 791 6506 e-mail: [email protected]

Coordinating Office – LACU 11 Total Amount Cash Requested: US$ 345,000 Total In-kind Requested: US$ 100,000 Appeal Target: US$ 445,000

Geneva, 14 November, 2001

Dear Colleagues,

On 4 November, Hurricane Michelle made landfall on the south coast of Cuba. Packing winds of over 216 kilometers per hour it traversed Cuba from south to north in just six hours. According to the Cuban Civil Defense, the provinces affected extended from the northern part of Pinar del Rio province to the province of Ciego de Avila. This represents 45 % of the national territory and 5,899,000 inhabitants - 53 % of the population. The most affected areas are the provinces of , , Villa Clara, and the special municipality Isle of Youth.

Loss of life has been limited to 5 persons thanks to the rapid action of the Civil Defense agencies and the solid participation of all the people. Infrastructure has been devastated, severely affecting provision of vital services such as electricity, potable water, domestic fuel, transportation network and telephones. Social and educational institutions were also damaged. A total of 1,500 schools were partly damaged, 50 were razed to the ground or suffered major damages to installations. The same for polyclinics, primary health care centers, pharmacies, nursing homes and clinics. There was also extensive damage to housing, industry and griculture.

The Cuban Government evacuated 700,000 people from the high-risk areas hours before the hurricane hit. 100,000 still remain in shelters.

ACT member the Cuban Council of Churches (CCC) is proposing the following assistance to the most vulnerable, affected population in the two most affected municipalities of Matanzas province: § Food § Non food items such as medicines and clothes § Housing § Reconstruction of a house for elderly people

For the food and non food items the Cuban Council of Churches is requesting in kind donations. Due to the embargo situation in Cuba we are requesting that members abstain from sending their contributions directly in U$ dollars. We advise them to send the cash contributions to the ACT CO.

ACT is a worldwide network of churches and related agencies meeting human need through coordinated emergency response. The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland. Cuba – Hurricane Michelle 2 LACU-11 Appeal

Project Completion Date: November, 2002

Summary of Appeal Targets, Pledges/Contributions Received and Balance Requested

US$ Total Appeal Target(s) 445,000 Less: Pledges/Contr. Recd. 0 Balance Requested from ACT Network 445,000

Please kindly send your contributions to the following ACT bank account:

Account Number - 102539/0.01.061 (USD) Account Name: ACT - Action by Churches Together Banque Edouard Constant Cours de Rive 11 Case postale 3754 1211 Genève 3 SWITZERLAND

Please also inform the Finance Officer Jessie Kgoroeadira (direct tel. +4122/791.60.38, e-mail address [email protected]) of all pledges/contributions and transfers, including funds sent direct to the implementers, now that the Pledge Form is no longer attached to the Appeal.

We would appreciate being informed of any intent to submit applications for EU, USAID and/or other back donor funding and the subsequent results. We thank you in advance for your kind cooperation.

For further information please contact: ACT Director, Thor-Arne Prois (phone +41 22 791 6033 or mobile phone + 41 79 203 6055) or ACT Appeals Officer, Elsa Moreno, (phone +41 22 791 6420 or mobile phone +41 79 608 8133)

ACT Web Site address: http://www.act-intl.org

Ms. Geneviève Jacques Thor-Arne Prois Rev. Rudolf Hinz Director Director, ACT Director WCC/Cluster on Relations LWF/World Service

Cuba – Hurricane Michelle 3 LACU-11 Appeal

I. REQUESTING ACT MEMBER

§ Council of Churches of Cuba (CCC)

II. IMPLEMENTING ACT MEMBER & PARTNER INFORMATION

The Council of Churches of Cuba is composed of 24 Churches, 12 Ecumenical Movements and 2 Fraternal Associations, under 3 categories that form the structure of the Council , as follows:

Affiliate Members: those who have complied with the requirements for membership as stated in the by- laws and have voice and vote at all times.

Observer Members: newly accepted members, who are given this status for one year or more according to their desire and with right of voice (but not vote) in whatever situation they want.

Fraternal Associates: religious institutions and organizations which are purely fraternal in nature and therefore cannot comply with the requirements for membership as stated in the By- Laws, but at the same time, they also exhibit a broad spirit of ecumenism in their interrelationships and mutual support.

The motto of the CCC throughout its 60 years of foundation is “United to Serve”, and for this reason, the institution has been working alongside the churches and the people in times of natural disasters, economic crisis, etc. during these long years.

Dedicated to this task, an Emergency Committee was formed composed of 5 persons. This group is actively involved in all cases of emergency from the time the situation is foreseen.

The Cuban government relies on the Office of Civil Defense and its broad-based infrastructure support organizations, to take charge and prevent or prepare the country for any impending calamity. This organization acts according to pre-established plans. The CCC as a church institution, facilitates any aid received or offered by foreign counterparts or churches, working towards the same aims.

On this occasion, the Committee has chosen Matanzas among the 6 most affected provinces. The Emergency Committee of the CCC will develop, administer and lead the project of assistance to the province. We have selected 2 muni- cipalities in this province: Jaguey Grande, where the Christian Reformed Church will be our representative and in the municipality of Perico, our counterpart will be the Presby- terian Reformed Church.

The partner implementers in each municipality will be the local government, who together with the churches and the affected communities will carry out the planned tasks.

III. DESCRIPTION OF EMERGENCY SITUATION

Background Cuba being located in the Caribbean, frequently suffers from adverse natural phenomena, but the recent hurricane that passed over Cuba was of such magnitude not experienced for the last 50 years.

Cuba – Hurricane Michelle 4 LACU-11 Appeal

On 3, November the Emergency Committee was warned of the imminent threat of Hurricane Michelle. On Sunday 4 November Hurricane Michelle hit the island of Cuba on the southern coast of Matanzas (which borders the province of Cienfuegos), crossing the island and exiting through the northern coast of the province of Villa Clara.

Damage and needs assessments still have not been made in certain areas due to total breakdown of communications and inaccessibility.

Current Situation: According to the Cuban Civil Defense, the provinces affected were from the northern part of Pinar del Rio province to the province of Ciego de Avila. This represents 45 % of the national territory where 5,899,000 or 53 % of the entire population of Cuba live. The areas most affected are the provinces of Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Villa Clara and Havana, the City of Havana and the special municipality Isle of Youth.

Loss of life has been limited to 5 persons thanks to the rapid action of the Civil Defense agencies and the solid participation of all the people.

Infrastructure has been devastated severely affecting provision of vital services such as electricity, potable water, domestic fuel, transportation network and telephones. Social and educational institutions were also damaged. A total of 1,500 schools were partly damaged, 50 were razed to the ground or suffered major damages to installations. The same is true for polyclinics or primary health care centers, pharmacies, nursing homes, psychiatric clinics and health clinics. There was also extensive damage to housing, industry and agriculture.

Based on a preliminary survey, a total of 705,153 persons were evacuated, although the final tally is estimated to reach more than 800,000.

CCC Emergency Committee visited the 2 selected municipalities of Matanzas (Jaguey Grande and Perico).

Municipality of Jaguey Grande: is primarily a rural agricultural area (producing citrus fruits, bananas and sugar) with a population of 57,000. It also has an urban settlement of 19,000 inhabitants.

Housing: the majority of the houses which were made of wood and “guano” (palm leaves) were totally destroyed by the hurricane, along with all the things inside these houses. A preliminary estimate is that around 80% of the houses were partially or totally damaged. There are still 400 houses under water due to floods in some areas.

Social Institutions: a total of 278 institutions were generally affected, 73 of which were completely destroyed. These include schools, sugar mills, processing plants for citrus fruits, family clinics, etc.

Communication Facilities: electric and telephone network systems were completely destroyed and supplies of potable water were cut. However, the government is providing drinking water through their mobile delivery trucks.

Roads and highways have been severely damaged or blocked by fallen debris.

Cuba – Hurricane Michelle 5 LACU-11 Appeal

Economy: A total of 90,000 tons of fruits were destroyed many of which (e.g. oranges) were ready to be harvested. 100 % of the banana areas were razed to the ground by the very strong winds.

List of Needs: § Construction materials § Clothes § Hygiene articles § Water purifiers § Food items (canned goods) § Medicines - antibiotics, de-worming tabs, antiviral and consumable medical supplies

Municipality of Perico

Houses - partially or totally damaged were those constructed with tile roofs and other light materials. Access to populated areas was invariably closed due to fallen trees, electric and telephone posts. Currently people do not have access to potable water and electricity.

Economy - sugarcane plantations were devastated along with other crops such as bananas, vegetables, fruits, etc. The sugar mills were also affected.

Social Institutions – The pharmacy was completely destroyed and the Home for the Elderly lost part of its roof.

Communication Facilities - complete breakdown of communications with no access to telephones or electricity.

List of Needs: § Construction Materials § Clothes § Hygiene items § Water Purifiers § Food Items (canned goods) § Medicines: antibiotics, deworming tabs, antiviral, and consumable medical supplies

IV. GOAL & OBJECTIVES

Goal: The main goal is to help the most vulnerable victims of Hurricane Michelle in two municipalities in the Province of Matanzas: Jaguey Grande and Perico

Objectives: § To offer humanitarian aid to the victims of the cyclone. § To involve the churches and the community in the recovery phase of the disaster. § To provide construction materials to families who lost their houses.

V. TARGETED BENEFICIARIES

Cuba – Hurricane Michelle 6 LACU-11 Appeal

The CCC has selected Jaguey Grande, a municipality in the south of the province of Matanzas. It has a total population of 57,000 with an urban area of 19,000 inhabitants. Around 80% of the people in this town either lost their houses partially or totally. 50 of the most vulnerable families, comprising a large number of children, women and elderly, whose houses were completely destroyed have been selected from urban and rural areas. This project will further benefit 3,000 persons who remain evacuated with food, clothing and medicines.

CCC has also selected those persons who have lost all their possessions including their houses.

Another municipality selected is Perico which is situated in the central part of the Matanzas province, with a total population of approximately 20,000 persons. CCC has selected 10 families who have lost all their belongings including their houses. These families are among 300 families still in evacuation centers (where they are provided food, medicines and clothing).

Various social institutions were also greatly affected and CCC has selected a Home for the Elderly where 70 old people are residing and being cared for. This institution will receive food, clothing, medicines and hygiene articles as well as assistance for repairs to the building.

VI. PROPOSED EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE & IMPLEMENTATION

The Emergency Committee will rely on the support of the Presbyterian and Christian Reformed churches in this province whose pastors and laymen will work together with the agencies of the Ministry of Public Health of both municipalities, the city authorities and the construction brigades. They will constitute a multidisciplinary group which will be responsible for carrying out the tasks.

Distribution of food and non food relief items

The food and non food items will be distributed within the population who are within the evacuation centers. They have lost their houses and all their goods. The most urgently needed assistance is: Food : canned meat and milk Medicines: Antibiotics, vitamins, de-worming tabs, antiviral and consumable medical supplies as well as water purifiers Clothes, sheets and blankets Hygiene items

Housing

CCC has decided to assist the local authorities in their efforts to repair/reconstruct those houses which have been totally or partly destroyed by the Hurricane. In the municipality of Jaguey Grande 50 houses will be repaired/reconstructed and in the municipality of Perico 10 houses will be repaired/reconstructed.

In both municipalities, the communities and churches are expected to participate in the execution of the repair work and delivery of assistance as well as monitoring and evaluating the execution and progress of the work. CCC will rely on the support of the local government construction brigades and local authorities have agreed to assume the cost of labor during construction.

Community infrastructure

Cuba – Hurricane Michelle 7 LACU-11 Appeal

CCC will also assist with repairs of the house for elderly people in Perico.

Plan of Activities

Results Principal Activities Responsible Resources Persons 1. Support the diet of the Delivery of food items to those, .in the Family doctors 50,000 evacuees evacuation centers. Laymen, pastors and the vice- pres. Supply medicines, vitamins and minerals of the CCC 30,000 to the health centers of Perico. And Jaguey Grande

2. Recovery of some of Distribute to the affected population the belongings of the clothes, sheets, towels, shoes, and Obed, Erelio, Sergio 20,000 families who are personal hygiene products. victims 3. Construction of 60 Finance the cost of construction materials Construction brigade 300,000 houses for the for houses. & vice-pres. of CCC victims of the Deliver the funds/resources to the local cyclone government for the construction of the houses. Family beneficiaries receive the houses 4. Reconstruction of the Finance the reconstruction materials. Construction brigade 15,000 house for elderly & vice-pres. of CCC people in Perico 5. Incorporation of the To cooperate with the clean-up, and repair Obed, Erelio 30,000 churches in Jagüey of surrounding area Sergio Grande & Perico in the Administration of resources Equipo de work of restoration Monitor the Project. Emergencia

VII. ADMINISTRATION, FINANCE, MONITORING & REPORTING

To achieve its proposed activities, the Emergency Committee of the CCC counts on the support of the head office of the CCC, the offices of the Christian Reformed Church of Jaguey Grande and the Office of the Presbyterian Church of Perico and . In addition, it relies on the support of the offices of the city authorities (People’s Power) and the local branches of the Ministry of Public Health in the 2 municipalities. Administration resources will be necessary to support the needs of these offices.

The Project will have a level of General Coordination but at the same time, it will have one person responsible in each municipality. Moreover, a Terms of Reference will be signed among the state agencies involved in the project while the Ministry of Investments and Co-operation (MINVEC) will supervise the development of the project so that the activities and the resources intended for these activities will be utilized efficiently. The CCC, the city government (People’s Power),and MINVEC will be co-signatories.

The laymen of the church, pastors and local government people will carry out delivery of the assistance. The medicines will be in the hands of the municipal health system operating in each municipality.

Cuba – Hurricane Michelle 8 LACU-11 Appeal

The construction of the houses will be done by the construction brigade of the government (People’s Power) in each community.

The funds and materials will be received, monitored and controlled by the CCC and after 6 months an audit will be made by an auditing company. The application for financial remittance will be set by the implementing agencies to the CCC, through the submission of predetermined invoices. The emergency team will conduct a monthly evaluation of the progress of the project and its compliance with the plan.

VIII. IMPLEMENTATION TIMETABLE

One year

IX. CO-ORDINATION

The coordination of the project will be assumed by the Council of Churches of Cuba, which is a member of ACT in the Caribbean and who, together with the local authorities of both municipalities, the Presbyterian churches of Perico and Varadero, the Christian Reformed church of Jaguey Grande and the MINVEC will implement the planned project.

X. BUDGET

ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE

Description Type of No of Unit Cost Budget Unit Units US$ US$ DIRECT ASSISTANCE Crisis Phase Assistance (in-kind contrib) Food (canned food) Lumpsum 50,000 Medicines(antibiotics, vitmins, de-worming tabs, antiviral & consumable medical supplies water purifiers) Lumpsum 30,000 Clothes, sheets, hygiene items Lumpsum 20,000 Post-crisis Assistance Housing House 60 5,000 300,000 Community infrastructure House 1 15,000 15,000 Total Direct Assistance 415,000

MATERIAL TRANSPORT Fuel and rental of vehicles 10,000 Sub total 10,000

PERSONNEL, ADMINISTRATION, OPERATIONS & SUPPORT Office Running Costs Salaries, travel and per diem Lumpsum 18,000 Audit 2,000 Sub total 20,000

Cuba – Hurricane Michelle 9 LACU-11 Appeal

TOTAL ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE 445,000