Archbishop Pérez: Cubans are 'suffering immense hardships' and 'need our help'

PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) -- After back-to-back natural disasters in recent weeks, the Cuban people "are suffering immense hardships and … need our help," said Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia.

On Nov. 10, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake shook the eastern end of the island, with the epicenter located some 25 miles south of the town of Bartolome Maso, said the U.S. Geological Survey. The tremors could be felt in Santiago de Cuba, the nation's second largest city, and Guantanamo.

No immediate reports of casualties or significant damage from the quake have emerged, but Cuba is still struggling to recover after Hurricane Rafael slammed into the island Nov. 6. The Category 3 storm left "an indelible mark" on the island, said Caritas of the Diocese of Pinar del Rio, part of Caritas Internationalis, the Catholic Church's official humanitarian aid network, in a Nov. 8 Facebook post.

Cuban authorities reported that 461 homes collapsed in the wake of Hurricane Rafael, which forced more than 283,000 people across the nation to evacuate, including 98,300 in Havana alone. Media images showed residents wading through flooded streets with their pets and possessions.

Both disasters followed on the heels of Hurricane Oscar, which made landfall in Cuba Oct. 20, killing at least six. The Category 1 storm arrived amid an island-wide blackout resulting from the Oct. 18 collapse of a thermoelectric power plant in Matanzas, a further blow to Cuba's failing power grid, which has seen regular 15- to 20-hour blackouts.

Archbishop Pérez, the son of Cuban exiles who emigrated to the U.S. following the 1959 Cuban Revolution, said in a Nov. 18 statement that he was "deeply saddened" by the rapid-fire sequence of the storms, the earthquake and the energy grid crisis.

Noting his family's shared "deep roots" with the people of Cuba, as well as the approaching Thanksgiving holiday, Archbishop Pérez -- who serves as board chair for CatholicRelief Services, the U.S. affiliate of the Caritas Internationalis network -- urged the faithful to make "a tangible expression of gratitude for our many blessings by seeing the face of Christ in those in need and sharing His compassionate love."

"Everyone can be a beacon of hope for Cubans at this time by offering fervent prayer and generous support of the humanitarian efforts being undertaken by Catholic Relief Services," he said.

In particular, "the priority right now for these folks is food, hygiene supplies and … water," said Joseph Weber, CRS's technical adviser for humanitarian emergency response in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Weber told OSV News that both homes and crops have been damaged, resulting in "longer-term recovery needs."

Caritas Cuba reported in a Nov. 14 update that preliminary assessments indicate more than 15,450 homes have been affected, with close to 37,560 acres of crops lost, "especially bananas, rice, beans, cassava, sweet potatoes, corn, among others."

Just under 180 health care facilities in three provinces sustained "significant damage," said the agency.

Yet amid the daunting task of cleanup and rebuilding, "there's a lot of solidarity" -- and not only in providing humanitarian supplies, Weber said.

"Material support is really important, but it's also important for people to feel that they're not alone. And with all the losses that these storms cause, accompaniment is a really important piece," said Weber. "What I'm seeing is people with a lot of resilience and a lot of commitment to take care of one another."

In his statement, Archbishop Pérez called for help and prayers.

"Let's be the hands of Christ working continually for our brothers and sisters in Cuba and across the Caribbean region," said Archbishop Pérez. "May Our Lady of Charity of Cobre, Patroness of Cuba, be especially close to her children at this time."