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Hurricane Ike and Cuba

Huge waves generated by Hurricane Ike slam into the coast at Baracoa. Fortunately, much of the town is located on a bluff.

Baracoa Friendship Association
©2008 Latitude 38 Media, LLC

With people on the Gulf Coast of the United States justifiably concerned about the potential threats posed by the approach of Hurricane Ike and its 125-knot winds, it’s important to remember the terrible damage this hurricane has already done in the Caribbean.

When we took our Ocean 71 Big O on a two-week tour of the north coast of Cuba in ’95, the first place we pulled into was the lovely little town of Baracoa on the far eastern tip of the island. It was dumbfounding to us to see how little the people had. Now that Ike has come through, they have even less.

The structures are so old and weak in Cuba that these structures in Baracoa were partially blown apart.

Baracoa Friendship Association
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC

Jo McIntire of the St. Augustine, Florida-based Baracoa Friendship Association sent us these photos of the destruction in Baracoa. And we think we’ve got problems! The Friendship Association, which has somehow been certified by the IRS as a non-profit organization under Section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, is putting together a November hurricane relief shipment for Baracoa, and could use your help.

This is a typical home in Baracoa . . . or at least what’s left of it.

Baracoa Friendship Association
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC

If you’d like to contribute, visit www.staugustine-baracoa.org or email Jo McIntire.

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