Action by Churches Together (ACT)
Appeal - Cuba
Hurricane Michelle - LACU  11
Total Amount Cash Requested:  US$ 345,000
Total In-kind Requested:   US$ 100,000
Appeal Target: US$ 445,000
Geneva, 14 November, 2001


On 4 November, Hurricane Michelle made landfall on the south coast of
Cuba. Packing winds of over 216 kilometers per hour it traversed Cuba from
south to north in just six hours. According to the Cuban Civil Defense,
the provinces affected extended from the northern part of Pinar del Rio
province to the province of Ciego de Avila.  This represents 45 % of the
national territory and 5,899,000 inhabitants - 53 % of the population.
The most affected areas are the provinces of Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Villa
Clara, Havana and the special municipality Isle of Youth.

Loss of life has been limited to 5 persons thanks to the rapid action of
the Civil Defense agencies and the solid participation of all the people.
Infrastructure has been devastated, severely affecting provision of vital
services such as electricity, potable water, domestic fuel, transportation
network and telephones.  Social and educational institutions were also
damaged.  A total of 1,500 schools were partly damaged, 50 were razed to
the ground or suffered major damages to installations.  The same for
polyclinics, primary health care centers, pharmacies, nursing homes and
clinics.  There was also extensive damage to housing, industry and
griculture.

The Cuban Government evacuated 700,000 people from the high-risk areas
hours before the hurricane hit. 100,000 still remain in shelters.

ACT member the Cuban Council of Churches (CCC) is proposing the following
assistance to the most vulnerable, affected population in the two most
affected municipalities of Matanzas province:

  - Food
  - Non food items such as medicines and clothes
  - Housing
  - Reconstruction of a house for elderly people

For the food and non food items the Cuban Council of Churches is
requesting in kind donations. Due to the embargo situation in Cuba we are
requesting that members abstain from sending their contributions directly
in U$ dollars. We advise them to send the cash contributions to the ACT
CO.




Project Completion Date:   November, 2002


Summary of Appeal Targets, Pledges/Contributions Received and Balance
Requested
                                        US$
Total Appeal Target(s)                445,000
Less: Pledges/Contr. Recd.                  0
Balance Requested from ACT Network    445,000


Ms. Genevieve Jacques		Thor-Arne Prois		Rev. Rudolf Hinz
Director			Director, ACT		Director
WCC/Cluster on Relations				LWF/World Service



REQUESTING ACT MEMBER

Council of Churches of Cuba (CCC)



IMPLEMENTING ACT MEMBER & PARTNER INFORMATION

The Council of Churches of Cuba is composed of 24 Churches, 12 Ecumenical
Movements and 2 Fraternal Associations, under 3 categories that form the
structure of the Council , as follows:

Affiliate Members:  those who have complied with the requirements for
membership as stated in the by-laws and have voice and vote at all times.

Observer Members:  newly accepted members, who are given this status for
one year or more according to their desire and with right of voice (but
not vote)  in whatever situation they want.

Fraternal Associates: religious institutions and organizations which are
purely fraternal in nature and therefore cannot comply with the
requirements for membership as stated in the By- Laws, but at the same
time, they also exhibit a broad spirit of ecumenism in their
interrelationships and mutual support.

The motto of the CCC throughout its 60 years of foundation is "United to
Serve", and for this reason, the institution has been working alongside
the churches and the people in times of natural disasters, economic
crisis, etc. during these long years.

Dedicated to this task, an Emergency Committee was formed composed of 5
persons.  This group is actively involved in all cases of emergency from
the time the situation is foreseen.

The Cuban government relies on the Office of Civil Defense and its
broad-based infrastructure support organizations, to take charge and
prevent or prepare the country for any impending calamity.  This
organization acts according to pre-established plans. The CCC as a church
institution, facilitates any aid received or offered by foreign
counterparts or churches, working towards the same aims.

On this occasion, the Committee has chosen Matanzas among the 6 most
affected provinces. The Emergency Committee of the CCC will develop,
administer and lead the project of assistance to the province. We have
selected 2 muni- cipalities in this province: Jaguey Grande, where the
Christian Reformed Church will be our representative and in the
municipality of Perico, our counterpart will be the Presby- terian
Reformed Church.

The partner implementers in each municipality will be the local
government, who together with the churches and the affected communities
will carry out the planned tasks.



DESCRIPTION OF EMERGENCY SITUATION

Background

Cuba being located in the Caribbean, frequently suffers from adverse
natural phenomena, but the recent hurricane that passed over Cuba was of
such magnitude not experienced for the last 50 years.

On 3, November the Emergency Committee was warned of the imminent threat
of Hurricane Michelle.  On Sunday 4 November Hurricane Michelle hit the
island of Cuba on the southern coast of Matanzas (which borders the
province of Cienfuegos), crossing the island and exiting through the
northern coast of the province of Villa Clara.

Damage and needs assessments still have not been made in certain areas due
to total breakdown of communications and inaccessibility.


Current Situation:

According to the Cuban Civil Defense, the provinces affected were from the
northern part of Pinar del Rio province to the province of Ciego de Avila.
This represents 45 % of the national territory where 5,899,000 or 53 % of
the entire population of Cuba live.  The areas most affected are the
provinces of Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Villa Clara and Havana, the City of
Havana and the special municipality Isle of Youth.

Loss of life has been limited to 5 persons thanks to the rapid action of
the Civil Defense agencies and the solid participation of all the people.

Infrastructure has been devastated severely affecting provision of vital
services such as electricity, potable water, domestic fuel, transportation
network and telephones.  Social and educational institutions were also
damaged.  A total of 1,500 schools were partly damaged, 50 were razed to
the ground or suffered major damages to installations.  The same is true
for polyclinics or primary health care centers, pharmacies, nursing homes,
psychiatric clinics and health clinics.  There was also extensive damage
to housing, industry and agriculture.

Based on a preliminary survey, a total of 705,153 persons were evacuated,
although the final tally is estimated to reach more than 800,000.

CCC Emergency Committee visited the 2 selected municipalities of Matanzas
(Jaguey Grande and Perico).

Municipality of Jaguey Grande:  is primarily a rural agricultural area
(producing citrus fruits, bananas and sugar) with a population of 57,000.
It also has an urban settlement of 19,000 inhabitants.

Housing:  the majority of the houses which were made of wood and "guano"
(palm leaves) were totally destroyed by the hurricane, along with all the
things inside these houses.  A preliminary estimate is that around 80% of
the houses were partially or totally damaged.  There are still 400 houses
under water due to floods in some areas.

Social Institutions:  a total of 278 institutions were generally affected,
73 of which were completely destroyed.  These include schools, sugar
mills, processing plants for citrus fruits, family clinics, etc.

Communication Facilities:  electric and telephone network systems were
completely destroyed and supplies of potable water were cut. However, the
government is providing drinking water through their mobile delivery
trucks.

Roads and highways have been severely damaged or blocked by fallen debris.

Economy:  A total of 90,000 tons of fruits were destroyed many of which
(e.g. oranges) were ready to be harvested.  100 % of the banana areas were
razed to the ground by the very strong winds.

List of Needs:  Construction materials Clothes Hygiene articles Water
purifiers Food items (canned goods) Medicines - antibiotics, de-worming
tabs, antiviral and consumable medical supplies


Municipality of Perico

Houses - partially or totally damaged were those constructed with tile
roofs and other light materials.  Access to populated areas was invariably
closed due to fallen trees, electric and telephone posts.  Currently
people do not have access to potable water and electricity.

Economy - sugarcane plantations were devastated along with other crops
such as bananas, vegetables, fruits, etc.  The sugar mills were also
affected.

Social Institutions - The pharmacy was completely destroyed and the Home
for the Elderly lost part of its roof.

Communication Facilities - complete breakdown of communications with no
access to telephones or electricity.

List of Needs:
  - Construction Materials
  - Clothes
  - Hygiene items
  - Water Purifiers
  - Food Items (canned goods)
  - Medicines: antibiotics, deworming tabs, antiviral, and consumable
    medical supplies


GOAL & OBJECTIVES

Goal:  The main goal is to help the most vulnerable victims of Hurricane
Michelle in two municipalities in the Province of Matanzas: Jaguey Grande
and Perico


Objectives:

To offer humanitarian aid to the victims of the cyclone.

To involve the churches and the community in the recovery phase of the
disaster.

To provide construction materials to families who lost their houses.



TARGETED BENEFICIARIES

The CCC has selected Jaguey Grande, a municipality in the south of the
province of Matanzas. It has a total population of 57,000 with an urban
area of 19,000 inhabitants. Around 80% of the people in this town either
lost their houses partially or totally.  50 of the most vulnerable
families, comprising a large number of children, women and elderly, whose
houses were completely destroyed have been selected from urban and rural
areas.  This project will further benefit 3,000 persons who remain
evacuated with food, clothing and medicines.

CCC has also selected those persons who have lost all their possessions
including their houses.

Another municipality selected is Perico which is situated in the central
part of the Matanzas province, with a total population of approximately
20,000 persons.  CCC has selected 10 families who have lost all their
belongings including their houses.  These families are among 300 families
still in evacuation centers (where they are provided food, medicines and
clothing).

Various social institutions were also greatly affected and CCC has
selected a Home for the Elderly where 70 old people are residing and being
cared for.  This institution will receive food, clothing, medicines and
hygiene articles as well as assistance for repairs to the building.



PROPOSED EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE & IMPLEMENTATION

The Emergency Committee will rely on the support of the Presbyterian and
Christian Reformed churches in this province whose pastors and laymen will
work together with the agencies of the Ministry of Public Health of both
municipalities, the city authorities and the construction brigades. They
will constitute a multidisciplinary group which will be responsible for
carrying out the tasks.

Distribution of food and non food relief items

The food and non food items will be distributed within the population who
are within the evacuation centers. They have lost their houses and all
their goods.  The most urgently needed assistance is:

Food: canned meat and milk
Medicines: Antibiotics, vitamins, de-worming tabs, antiviral and
           consumable medical supplies as well as water purifiers
Clothes, sheets and blankets
Hygiene items



Housing

CCC has decided to assist the local authorities in their efforts to
repair/reconstruct those houses which have been totally or partly
destroyed by the Hurricane.  In the municipality of Jaguey Grande 50
houses will be repaired/reconstructed and in the municipality of Perico 10
houses will be repaired/reconstructed.

In both municipalities, the communities and churches are expected to
participate in the execution of the repair work and delivery of assistance
as well as monitoring and evaluating the execution and progress of the
work. CCC will rely on the support of the local government construction
brigades and local authorities have agreed to assume the cost of labor
during construction.



Community infrastructure

CCC will also assist with repairs of the house for elderly people in
Perico.



Plan of Activities

Results
Principal Activities
Responsible
Persons
Resources

1.  Support the diet of the evacuees





2.  Recovery of some of the belongings of the families who are victims
Delivery of food items to those, .in the evacuation centers.

Supply medicines, vitamins and minerals to the health centers of Perico.
and Jaguey Grande

Distribute to the affected population clothes, sheets, towels, shoes, and
  personal hygiene products.
Family doctors
Laymen, pastors and the vice- pres.
of the CCC




Obed, Erelio, Sergio
50,000


30,000




20,000

3. Construction of 60 houses for the victims  of the cyclone

Finance the cost of construction materials for houses.
Deliver the funds/resources to the local government for the construction
  of the houses.
Family beneficiaries receive the houses
Construction brigade & vice-pres. of CCC

300,000

4. Reconstruction of the house for elderly people in Perico
Finance the reconstruction materials.
Construction brigade & vice-pres. of CCC
15,000

5. Incorporation of the churches in Jagüey Grande & Perico in the work of
restoration

To cooperate with the clean-up, and repair of surrounding area
Administration of resources
Monitor the Project.
Obed, Erelio
Sergio
Equipo de Emergencia
30,000




ADMINISTRATION, FINANCE, MONITORING & REPORTING

To achieve its proposed activities, the Emergency Committee of the CCC
counts on the support of the head office of the CCC, the offices of the
Christian Reformed Church of Jaguey Grande and the Office of the
Presbyterian Church of Perico and Varadero.  In addition, it relies on the
support of the offices of the city authorities (People's Power) and the
local branches of the Ministry of Public Health in the 2 municipalities.
Administration resources will be necessary to support the needs of these
offices.

The Project will have a level of General Coordination but at the same
time, it will have one person responsible in each municipality. Moreover,
a Terms of Reference will be signed among the state agencies involved in
the project while the Ministry of Investments and Co-operation (MINVEC)
will supervise the development of the project so that the activities and
the resources intended for these activities will be utilized efficiently.
The CCC, the city government (People's Power),and MINVEC will be
co-signatories.

The laymen of the church, pastors and local government people will carry
out delivery of the assistance. The medicines will be in the hands of the
municipal health system operating in each municipality.

The construction of the houses will be done by the construction brigade of
the government (People's Power) in each community.

The funds and materials will be received, monitored and controlled by the
CCC and after 6 months an audit will be made by an auditing company. The
application for financial remittance will be set by the implementing
agencies to the CCC, through the submission of predetermined invoices.

The emergency team will conduct a monthly evaluation of the progress of
the project and its compliance with the plan.



IMPLEMENTATION TIMETABLE

One year



CO-ORDINATION

The coordination of the project will be assumed by the Council of Churches
of Cuba, which is a member of ACT in the Caribbean and who, together with
the local authorities of both municipalities, the Presbyterian churches of
Perico and Varadero, the Christian Reformed church of Jaguey Grande and
the MINVEC will implement the planned project.


BUDGET

ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE

Description	Type of	No of	Unit Cost	Budget
	Unit	Units	US$	US$
DIRECT ASSISTANCE
Crisis Phase Assistance (in-kind contrib)
Food (canned food)	Lumpsum			50,000
Medicines(antibiotics, vitmins, de-worming tabs,
antiviral & consumable medical supplies
water purifiers)	Lumpsum			30,000
Clothes, sheets, hygiene items	Lumpsum			20,000
Post-crisis Assistance
Housing	House	60	5,000	300,000
Community infrastructure	House	1	15,000	15,000
Total Direct Assistance				415,000

MATERIAL TRANSPORT
Fuel and rental of vehicles				10,000
Sub total				10,000

PERSONNEL, ADMINISTRATION, OPERATIONS & SUPPORT
Office Running Costs
Salaries, travel and per diem	Lumpsum			18,000
Audit				2,000
Sub total				20,000


TOTAL ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE				445,000



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Action by Churches Together (ACT) is a worldwide alliance of churches and
their related agencies, meeting human need through co-ordinated emergency
response.  The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of
Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.
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   Ecumenical Centre                          Phone: ++41-22-791.60.33
   150, route de Ferney                         Fax: ++41-22-791.65.06
   P.O. Box 2100                             E-Mail: act@wcc-coe.org
   1211 Geneva 2                              Telex: 415 730 OIK CH
   Switzerland                                 http://www.act-intl.org


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