| SOMETCUBA Bulletin |
Volume 6 Number 1 |
January 2000 |
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Minimum chronology of big nature disasters occurred on Cuba in the XX century
Conclusions
1. hidrometeorological phenomena, particularly hurricanes.2. Earthquakes have not provoked so far large numbers of victims or considerable damages. They have been of low intensity and generally restricted to the East of the country.
3. The occurrence of natural disasters on Cuba is conditioned mainly by the following physical-geographical factors:
The location of the archipelago within the tropical zone The insular condition The longitudinal extension of the island of Cuba The geological history of the region 4. Natural disasters associated to the pass of tropical cyclones, have been due to:
- Storm surges
- Flooding caused by intense persistent rainfall
- The dynamic effect of the wind
- The formation of tornadoes
5. Consequently, the most vulnerable areas are:
- Coastal zones
- Regions with insufficient surface drainage
- Valleys between mountains
- Mountain zones
- Cities
6. Reduction of damages due to natural disasters in Cuba over the last 40 years has been possible due to:
- The quick and efficient operation of a civil defense system with regional autonomy.
- The reorganization and development of the National Meteorological service on 1965
- The widening and continuous improvement of the meteorological stations network
- The assimilation of advanced remote sensing technologies
- The application of an efficient style of working at the meteorological forecasting area
- The widening and improvement of the national seismological network
- The elevation of the "meteorological awareness" of the population
- A nation wide organized health system
- The work of the mass media.
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