Hurricane Ike topples Havana buildings

[ben_meyers]

How can the Cuban government allow this kind of thing to happen? Isn't that island subject to "heavy weather" on a fairly consistent basis. This was only a "borderline" Cat one.

Heck of a job Raul!

HAVANA (Reuters) - Hurricane Ike toppled decrepit buildings in Havana and raked over western Cuba still recovering from the more powerful Gustav as it made a second landfall on the island on a path that may steer it away from the heart of Gulf of Mexico oilfields.

Heavy rains and high winds pounded the Cuban capital as Ike, a borderline Category 1 storm on the five-step hurricane intensity scale with 75 mile per hour (120 km per hour) winds, passed nearby through the westernmost Pinar del Rio province.

Havana, a city of 2 million people on Cuba's northwest coast, has many beautiful old but crumbling buildings, prone to collapse in heavy weather.

Officials said 16 buildings had fallen on Tuesday, but no injuries were reported. About 250,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas and precarious buildings ahead of Ike.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080909/ts_nm/storm_ike_dc_27

[alcibiades_mystery]

1. No dilapidated Cuban Building has ever collapsed from a hurricane BEFORE!

At freefall speed, no less!

;-)

[ben_meyers]

2. Do you mean.....mihop?

[safeinOhio]

3. and if we don't send aid

Russia will.

[ben_meyers]

11. Russia washed their hands of that place years ago

when they became a drain on their economy and were no longer useful as a propaganda tool. Cuba has become an embarrassment to the movement.

[GrizzlyMan]

4. Hard to out plan nature

[Bob Dobbs]

5. The US total economic blockade might have something to do with it.

It's amazing what they have been able to do with the kind of economic fascism they have dealt with.

[Peace Patriot]

6. Thousands of poor black people left in a stadium to starve and die in their own urine?

Bloated corpses of the poor in the flood waters? No buses to evacuate the poor before the storm hit? Leaders of the country eating birthday cake with John McCain while rescue ships can't get permission from the White House to follow the flood in? Thousands of helpers turned back? Millions in aid refused? V-P ordering workers to restore power to oil pipelines before hospitals? Blackwater running rampant?

Cuba protected its PEOPLE! And a few old buildings went down. I don't understand your venom, Ben_Meyers. You sound like a Bushite--callous, twisted, full of hatred, crazy. Like Rush Limbaugh.

[madrchsod]

7. gee i bet they don`t have poisoned trailers to live in .....

[malaise]

8. Most of the buildings in Havana faced a Cat 4 Gustav a week ago

The Cuban officials advised warned citizens in advance. They knew those old buildings were not likely to survive another onslaught of rain or wind. Havana will be rebuilt.

sp.

[SoCalDem]

9. One of them could have been my Grandparents home

:(..

Cuba is a poor country, in case you had not noticed..and the upkeep of those old buildings is a costly undertaking. ..should they be taking care of them? sure..but there's only so much money..and apparently Cuba prefers taking care of its people, and the buildings sometimes lose out..

I think if you went to any former colony, you would see similar buildings in disrepair..

[a la izquierda]

10. Did you forget a sarcasm tag?

:eyes:

Do you have any idea how old that city is?






Here's a hint: some parts were built in the 16th century.
The article says the buildings were decrepit, the city is old and no one was injured (because people were evacuated in advance).