Raul Martinez Calls For U.S. Government Response to Hurricane Gustav in Cuba and Greater Antilles

"We must set aside our differences in order to directly help the Cuban people and others throughout the Greater Antilles in their time of need. We must act quickly and understand that it is our moral obligation to provide direct assistance to people who are suffering from this natural disaster," stated Raul Martinez.

Raul Martinez, who has experience in disaster relief management as Mayor of Hialeah, is also suggesting that the US offer to deploy a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to independently help determine what relief supplies are most needed. A DART is a rapid response management team composed of disaster relief specialists who conduct assessments, identify and prioritize needs, manage on site relief activities, recommend response actions, and coordinate with the affected country and other response organizations. The teams are typically deployed after devastating disasters of significant magnitude.

Although the U.S. Government has offered humanitarian aide in the past and these offers have been rejected by some governments that put their ideology before the needs of their citizens, our government must show support for all our neighbors who may be suffering and in need of assistance. The United States government has made such offers after past hurricanes and unfortunately they have been rejected in some cases.

Mayor Martinez is recommending that USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) authorize double the amount usually provided for immediate relief - up to $100,000 in grants to non-governmental organizations to help meet the needs of the victims of Hurricane Gustav.