– A good portion of Cuba's 11.2 million people participated May 20-21 in the extreme weather drill organized by the government to test the disaster prevention system ahead of the hurricane season's official start date: June 1. Maritza Ballester, of the Cuban Meteorology Institute, told Tierramérica there is a “75 percent probability that at least one hurricane will hit Cuba” this season, which ends Nov. 30.

The institute's forecast center predicts a minimum of 15 tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin in 2006, nine of which could turn into hurricanes, with winds of 118 km per hour, or more.

In 2005, three hurricanes hit Cuba, causing damages estimated at more than 1.3 billion dollars.