Cuban Physicians Get Ready for Catastrophes in Haiti

Gonaives, Haiti, May 24. -Cuban physicians working in the Haitian department of Artibonite will implement as of Monday what they learned during a civil defense exercise to avoid human and material losses from natural catastrophes.

That department suffered in 2004 and 2008 two largest flooding, which surprised thousands of inhabitants and left considerable damages and several casualties.

In the city of Gonaives, capital of the referred department, water surpassed the height of houses, obliging several people to take refuge in the roofs of the highest buildings to preserve life.

Cuban physicians escaped unharmed both times and later maintained their work to the city's inhabitants, although they say there are always things to learn and lessions to take into account.

Cuban physicians have been working in Haiti since late 2008, shortly after the path of Hurricane George, but the figure increased considerably after the January 12 earthquake, which killed more than 220,000 people, wounded 300,000, and almost one and a half million victims.

After the quake, the island's doctors set several field hospitals in Port-au-Prince and neighboring cities, the most affected ones for the telluric movement, and assisted thousands of people for months.(Prensa Latina)