Living in the heart of hurricane alley in Cuba

Following the devastation that was caused by 2 hurricanes in 2008, Los Palacios, a Western Cuban farming community is still trying to recover and they are preparing for the next hurricane season, reports Alertnet. Some of the new houses have been built using palm trees that fell during the storms, and most of them are made with stronger roofs and more solid structures. The traditional 'vara en tierra', low, dirt-floored huts are also becoming popular and efficient shelters when hurricanes hit.

In Cuba numerous risk reduction management centres are helping local authorities with offering decision making tools and information to assess disaster risks and damage. Thanks to the widespread early warning systems and regular community preparedness drills, even though climate change is causing more and more extreme weather events, Cuba is considered as the country who has the lowest number of storm-related fatalities in the region.