Havana, Cuba, Aug 26, 2004 / 22:00 pm
In the wake of Hurricane Charley’s devastating path over Cuba, Jose Felix Perez, spokesman for the Bishops Conference of Cuba, announced the Church has launched a relief effort to help provide food, medicine and clothing to the more than 200,000 people affected by the storm.
Maritza Sanchez, director of Catholic Charities in Cuba, said distribution of supplies has already begun in some regions of the country. She added that Catholic Relief Services in the US is organizing a shipment of humanitarian aid, which should arrive in Cuba in September.
The principal recipients of the assistance, she said, will be hospitals, homes for the elderly, pregnant woman and the handicapped, as well as shelters for Hurricane victims.
Hurricane Charley blasted Cuba on August 13, crossing the island’s western region and leaving 4 dead and 200,000 homeless. The 102 mile-an-hour winds destroyed or damaged more than 73,000 homes and buildings as well as crops and fruit farms.