(25 Sep 1998) Spanish/Nat
In Cuba, three people have died and over 200,000 thousand people have been evacuated from their homes following the onslaught of Hurricane Georges which is still battering some areas of the island.
Electricity lines have been knocked down in some areas and there has been extensive damage to coffee, cacao and banana crops.
Cuban President Fidel Castro urged his country's 11 million people to remain on the alert as torrential rains and strong winds tested other island regions.
The back end of Hurricane Georges continues to hit central and western areas of Cuba while the eastern region assesses the storm's aftermath of destruction.
In Havana, located on the northwest coast of the island, heavy seas still thrash the sea front and officials have closed some schools and evacuated some areas.
More than half a million people, including thousands of tourists, remain in temporary shelters and many areas are still without electricity, water or telephone service.
Although the fiercest elements of Georges are out at sea heading towards the Florida coast, winds are still battering parts of the island.
The death toll climbed to three when a man was electrocuted while trying to repair wires in his house in the eastern province of Granma.
Two other people were electrocuted by loose wires.
Despite the wreckage, children in Havana have still found time to play with the violent sea.
Authorities have expressed satisfaction with their preventive and emergency measures.
President Fidel Castro insists that the storm has been handled correctly, but he says that provincial areas must be evacuated as soon as possible.
SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"This means that tomorrow we are going to have to carry out an evacuation, from early in the morning. It is a preventative measure. Neighbours should take preventative measures as well, especially those who live on ground floors."
SUPER CAPTION: President Fidel Castro, Cuban President
In Santa Clara, water levels rose dramatically, covering houses up to their roofs.
As estimated six thousand houses have been damaged and hundreds of others destroyed.
Flooding and lack of fresh water are now the main threat in the interior while on the coast high seas and heavy rain are continuing to cause destruction.
The armed forces have readied helicopters and boats should emergency evacuations be introduced as promised by Castro.
The national airline Cubana de Aviacion has cancelled many domestic
and international flights.
Other airlines from Venezuela, Jamaica, Mexico and Bolivia have also withdrawn some flights in and out of the island.
Severe drought had hit the country's crops hard before the storm.
Now swathes of banana and coffee crops are ruined, and some areas of sugar cane sustained damages as well.
Georges has also hit other Caribbean islands.
Curfews are in effect in St. Kitts and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In St. Kitts, 85 per cent of homes have been damaged or destroyed, and half the crucial sugar crop has been lost.
An estimated 2,500 people have been made homeless.
The neighbouring island of Puerto Rico will get 39 (m) million dollars in new grants to repair public housing and will be allowed to use more than 300 million dollars in international aid.
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