To: NATIONAL EDITORS

Contact: USAID Press Office +1-202-712-4320

Washington, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has approved $100,000 in emergency relief funds to help meet the immediate needs of those in Cuba affected by Hurricane Gustav.

On August 30, Hurricane Gustav passed over western Cuba as a Category Four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with winds of 150 mph. The hurricane produced heavy rains, and affected approximately 400,000 people, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

On September 3, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies reported seven deaths. In Isla de la Juventud Province, the hurricane impacted more than 90,000 individuals, damaged homes and infrastructure, and destroyed the electrical grid, according to Government of Cuba officials. According to the Pinar del Rio Civil Defense Committee, the hurricane damaged an estimated 86,000 homes, 80 electric towers, and 600 electric posts in Pinar del Rio Province. In addition, crops including banana, citrus, coffee, rice, sugar cane, and tobacco sustained significant damage, according to OCHA.

On September 3, U.S. Chief of Mission Jonathan D. Farrar issued a disaster declaration in response to the effects of the hurricane.

For more information about USAID and its programs in support of the Cuban people, please visit: www.usaid.gov.

Public Information: 202-712-4810

SOURCE U.S. Agency for International Development

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