By Dalia Acosta
HAVANA, Sep 10 2004 (IPS)

Cubans, nervously waiting for Hurricane Ivan as they receive news of the devastation it has been leaving behind it in neighbouring Caribbean nations, are preparing for what could turn out to be the worst natural disaster to hit this country in decades.

The storm, which weakened to category four on the Saffir-Simpson scale after reaching category five – the most intense – level on Thursday, slammed into Jamaica Friday with maximum sustained winds of 230 km per hour.

Authorities in Jamaica urged some 500,000 people in coastal areas to move to shelters, but very few had done so. There are fears that damages could be severe.

Ivan, described as "very powerful" and "very dangerous" by the director of Cuba’s Institute of Meteorology, José Rubiera, has already left a death toll of at least 27 in the Caribbean, including 17 in Grenada – where it destroyed at least 80 percent of all buildings – five in Venezuela, four in the Dominican Republic and one in Tobago.

It is set to reach Cuba on Sunday, and by early Monday could become the third major hurricane in less than a month to hit the U.S. state of Florida, after Charley and Frances.

Some Cubans are praying for protection from Caridad del Cobre, Cuba’s patron saint, while others invoke an "orisha" or spiritual entity in Cuba’s Afro-American santería religion.

But many hope that the storm will at least bring water to Cuba, which has suffered severe drought for over a year.

However, the rainfall also brings the threat of collapse for rundown or precarious buildings.

"The only thing I can think about is what might happen," Jimena Gómez, 42, told IPS. "I live on the eighth floor, and they say that if the hurricane maintains its current strength, there is great danger for everything above the fifth or sixth floor."

Gómez, who lives in Havana, is worried about the giant picture window in the living room of her apartment. "They tell me it could be blown out, that I better not stay here, and that I should bring my most valuable belongings with me."

The socialist government’s dollar-only stores have been packed with Cubans of all ages seeking materials to secure doors and windows, as well as candles, which were already beginning to run short.

The evacuation of people living in the upper stories of all apartment buildings is one of the prevention measures adopted in the capital, where local authorities have urged residents to prepare for the worst.

Rubiera said the hurricane would inevitably reach central or western Cuba on Sunday.

It could take the storm nine to 10 hours to make its way through the country, depending on its speed and the spot where it hits the island, said Rubiera in a nationally televised conversation with President Fidel Castro.

Although the Cuban government traditionally puts a high priority on keeping the public informed on weather events like cyclones and hurricanes, the heightened alarm over Ivan led to the airing of a four-hour programme Thursday evening, in which Castro himself appeared.

"No one should lose heart, no matter what the storm does. We have to take every possible measure, and not lose heart. The first thing is to protect lives, health, and our resources. Then we will dedicate ourselves immediately to reconstruction," said the president.

The head of civil defence, Gen. Ramón Pardo Guerra, urged Cubans "to increase the perception of the danger" and to live up to the guidelines aimed at mitigating the damages.

"Any object can become a projectile due to the force of the winds," warned army Gen. Alvaro López.

López also called for evacuating the entire population in areas at risk in a timely fashion, and said the shelters built in case of war should be used if necessary.

The evacuation operations are moving ahead, according to press reports from various Cuban provinces. More than half a million people, out of a total population of 11.2 million, are to be evacuated from their homes.

Civil defence gave instructions to remove all objects from roofs and rooftop terraces, to prune trees that could affect power and telephone lines, and to take down signs, lights, marquees, awnings, and billboards.

A civil defence communique instructed government bodies, social organisations and the population at large to stockpile water and food.

Evacuees must be taken to installations that provide the utmost safety, "in keeping with the magnitude of the winds brought by this hurricane," said the statement.

Farms and livestock companies are transporting animals to safe areas and crops have begun to be harvested and processed early in cases, like citrus fruits, in which it is possible to salvage them.

Castro told the country Thursday night that in case of disaster, the government will not accept any humanitarian assistance from the United States.

"If any assistance is necessary, we have friends who are capable of offering it without the manipulation and cynicism of the enemies of this country," said the president.

He also pointed out that after Hurricane Charley tore through the island less than a month ago, on Aug. 13, Cuba did not ask for help from the international community.

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