Hurricane Matthew Relief & Reconstruction for Cuba Campaign, October 16, 2016

Hurricane Matthew, with winds of 225 km/h (140mph), struck eastern Cuba on October 4, causing significant and widespread damage.  Because of Cuba’s internationally renowned and acclaimed civil defense system, there was no loss of life. However, Baracoa, Cuba’s oldest city and known internationally as one of the most beautiful parts of the island, has been devastated. With a population of more than 80,000, Baracoa has been reduced to rubble.   Baracoa resident Osvaldo Neira poignantly underscored the situation, declaring, "We lost everything.