Cuba is expecting a dozen tropical storms to pass the island this year, six of which could turn into hurricanes and cause costly damage. To prevent disaster and reduce the risk to human life, the authorities conducted the exercise dubbed Meteoro 2003. Five million people of the island's population of 11.2 million took part in the disaster drill two weeks before the hurricane season begins, in June.

Residents pruned trees that were close to power lines and cleaned up sewers, rivers, canals and ditches to facilitate water flow in case of a major storm. They also practiced emergency measures to react to floods, toxic chemical leaks, dam breaks or building collapse, as well as first-aid and evacuations.