Hurricane Dennis kills 16 in Cuba

HAVANA – President Fidel Castro updated the death toll from Hurricane Dennis, which battered the central part of the island last week, saying it killed 16 people and caused more than US$1,4 billion in damage.

Castro said in a televised address late on Monday that 13 people were killed in Granma province, two in Santiago de Cuba, and one in the central province of Sancti Spiritus. “We have to talk about the saddest of things,” Castro said in his six-hour speech.”A total of 16 people were killed.”The earlier death toll was 11.Castro also said that Dennis, which hammered Cuba on Thursday and Friday with winds of up to 240 kilometres an hour, completely or partially destroyed 120 000 homes and caused more than US$1,4 billion in damage.The Cuban leader said 1 513 000 people were evacuated before and during the storm, most of them to the homes of relatives, neighbours or other people who volunteered their homes.Some 240 000 were put up at state-run installations, he added.Castro also read from a lengthy list of agricultural damage wrought by the hurricane: “The entire crop of citric fruit was lost – 200 000 tonnes of grapefruit fell from the trees as did 160 000 tonnes of oranges.”At hundreds of dollars per tonne, that’s a huge loss for our exports.”Earlier in his speech, Castro turned down all help offered to Cuba in the wake of Hurricane Dennis by the United States or the European Union.- Nampa-AFP”We have to talk about the saddest of things,” Castro said in his six-hour speech.”A total of 16 people were killed.”The earlier death toll was 11.Castro also said that Dennis, which hammered Cuba on Thursday and Friday with winds of up to 240 kilometres an hour, completely or partially destroyed 120 000 homes and caused more than US$1,4 billion in damage.The Cuban leader said 1 513 000 people were evacuated before and during the storm, most of them to the homes of relatives, neighbours or other people who volunteered their homes.Some 240 000 were put up at state-run installations, he added.Castro also read from a lengthy list of agricultural damage wrought by the hurricane: “The entire crop of citric fruit was lost – 200 000 tonnes of grapefruit fell from the trees as did 160 000 tonnes of oranges.”At hundreds of dollars per tonne, that’s a huge loss for our exports.”Earlier in his speech, Castro turned down all help offered to Cuba in the wake of Hurricane Dennis by the United States or the European Union.- Nampa-AFP