The Civil Defense (DC, by its Spanish acronym) has protected Cubans since its foundation, on July 31 six decades ago; and not only when the traditional press and social media announce the imminent threat of a tropical storm, but in many other circumstances. For its members, from the National General Staff to the defense zones, the fundamental mission is to protect the population and the economy of the country in situations of natural, technological, and health disasters.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- Lieutenant Colonel Elfio Martí Beatón, head of the DC body in the province of Las Tunas, said that the strategies to be followed are being defined based on events that took place in the different communities and the investigations of a group of experts.
“The early warning alert is one of the designed tasks for the protection of the population. Hence the importance of the disaster risk reduction plans and the hazard, vulnerability, and risk studies carried out by various entities and agencies.
“The investigations related to strong winds, the floods due to penetrations of the sea and intense; as well as drought, and technological disasters have finished in Las Tunas. Now, health studies are updated and legalized.
"Fortunately, this is a pioneering province in the country because it has eight municipal risk management centers - and their homolog at the provincial level-, besides 27 early warning points distributed in vulnerable communities such as Nigua, Gamboa, Villanueva, and Barranca, among others.”
Martí Beatón explained that these institutions facilitate the historical compilation of what has happened in the municipalities, especially the damage caused to the housing fund by hurricanes Ike, in the north of Las Tunas; and Paloma, in Amancio.
He noted that the DC prevents and adopts measures during normal times to face natural, technological, and sanitary events. The most common are those of natural origin, among which are cyclones, drought, fires in rural areas, earthquakes, penetration of the sea, and landslides.
Technological disasters are those that occur due to the incidence of human beings in scientific-technological development such as fires, explosions, escapes of dangerous substances, and accidents of air, sea, and land transport (road and railway).
He also said that events of a sanitary nature are epidemics that harm people, epizootics that involve animals, and epiphytes that affect plants; among them, the zoonoses, infectious diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans (or from humans to animals), or those that damage plants and - by ingesting them - pass to animals and then to people.
The province of Las Tunas, like the rest of the country, has accumulated experiences of situations in which the value of the Civil Defense, which also undertakes rescue work and urgent repair of breakdowns, has been reaffirmed.
The DC is a paradigm for the world and, especially, the integration of numerous organizations stands out; as well as the systematic realization of workshops, seminars, conferences, and also training like the Meteoro National Drill, which is held each year.
