Cuban residents pick up pieces after Hurricanes Ivan, Charley

Published: 2004-09-24

CAJIO, Cuba (CNS) -- Weeks after Hurricane Charley nearly destroyed this fishing village, there were few signs of relief for the residents of Cajio. Charley tore through Cajio Aug. 13, destroying all but a handful of the village's 300 homes. In mid-September, power poles were askew and lines remained down on the road to Cajio from Guira de Melena, south of Havana. It was obvious that Cajio still had no electricity. Most of the villagers lost their few possessions -- including their fishing nets -- to Charley's ferocious winds and high seas. Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino of Havana told Catholic News Service that the people in Havana and Pinar del Rio, the provinces hardest hit by Hurricanes Charley and Ivan, "need everything, mattresses and appliances, but first they need roofs over their heads." The Cuban government has promised help in rebuilding, but with a lack of funds, the government response is slow.

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