Preparing for life after Castro's death

Posted on Fri, Jun. 02, 2006

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
Preparing for life after Castro's death

A new South Florida plan to prepare for the day Cuban leader Fidel
Castro dies is the most comprehensive yet, according to officials.
BY OSCAR CORRAL
ocorral@MiamiHerald.com

Sometime in the future, word will hit the streets in Miami: Cuban leader
Fidel Castro is dead.

Yes, parties will erupt spontaneously in many neighborhoods. Yes, tears
will flow and rum bottles stashed in cupboards for that ''special
occasion'' will be opened.

But, as is typical in an area accustomed to preparing for emergencies
such as hurricanes and mass migrations from Cuba or Haiti, plans are
being drawn at the highest levels of business and government in
Miami-Dade County to deal with the potential mayhem that may erupt the
day Castro dies, as well as the weeks and months that will follow.

The University of Miami -- in coordination with the American Red Cross
of Greater Miami and the Keys and a slew of nonprofit groups and local,
state and federal agencies -- has completed what officials say is the
most comprehensive plan ever put together in Miami to prepare for the
critical days following the death of Cuba's communist leader, who will
turn 80 this year.

The greatest fear among the planning organizations is another mass
migration along the lines of the Mariel boatlift in 1980 or the 1994
balsero crisis. Much of the report is dedicated to planning for such an
event, such as assigning a county official as the point person and
assigning specific tasks to deal with migrants.

The plan proposes a central website for everything everyone needs to
know about a post-Castro era.

SECRET PLANS

This is by no means the first or only plan drafted by an agency or
organization to deal with a post-Castro Cuba. Several government
agencies have secret plans already drafted, said Eric Driggs, a
researcher for UM's Cuba Transition Project, which is the federally
funded branch of its Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies.

Driggs said he did not have access to federal plans classified as secret
for national security purposes when drafting this report.

However, representatives of federal agencies alerted the group to
certain details, he said.

Miami-Dade, at least in the short term, would likely become engulfed in
the emotions of an event almost five decades in the making, the report
states.

At that point, as jubilation, chaos, demonstrations or a mixture of all
three spread across the county, someone would need to take charge.

''There is no doubt that when Fidel Castro dies, a series of events will
start in Cuba that will be super important for Miami-Dade County,'' said
Teo Babun, who chaired the subcommittee for coordinating relief aid to
Cuba in the event of Castro's death.

The Cuba Transition Project drafted the report after two years of
meetings among agencies such as the U.S. Agency for International
Development, the Department of Homeland Security, the Red Cross,
Miami-Dade's Office of Emergency Management and Miami-Dade Public Schools.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez said Castro's death will have
unpredictable consequences, but the county is preparing diligently
nonetheless.

''No one can predict exactly what will happen following the death of
Fidel Castro,'' Alvarez said in a written statement. ``However, I can
assure the residents of Miami-Dade County that detailed plans are in
place which take into account every possible scenario.''

WHAT TO EXPECT

So what can people expect in Miami-Dade upon news of Castro's death?

• The county's Office of Emergency Management, which coordinates
governmental services during disasters such as hurricanes, would
immediately mobilize. Its top priority would be to monitor celebrations,
vigils and demonstrations.

• The county would dedicate its 311 line to community information on Cuba.

• An alliance of private groups and public agencies -- which have
already been identified -- would come together to prepare for the
transportation, storage and tracking of donated aid to Cuba.

''The only reason for this is to help the community to be ready for
it,'' said Marielena Villamil, a Red Cross board member who spearheaded
the plan. ``I think [the government] just doesn't want it to be a
free-for-all. They don't want it to get out of hand.''

The government is prepared for the worst, said Carlos Castillo,
assistant fire chief for Miami-Dade County who chaired the subcommittee
to coordinate local response. If officials believe news of Castro's
death could trigger a mass migration of exiles to Cuba, they could shut
down the main points of entry and exit.

''The Coast Guard will take whatever action is necessary to protect the
coast,'' he said. ``As far as the airport and port of Miami, the county
and federal governments will take whatever steps necessary to ensure the
safety of the people in South Florida. If necessary, the federal
government has the ability to close the airports and seaports.''

During the Mariel boatlift in 1980, when about 120,000 Cuban migrants
arrived in Miami over a six-month period, Cuban exiles triggered the
mass migration by taking to the Florida Straits to bring over relatives
and friends.

HUMANITARIAN AID

Babun, director of the AmericasRelief Team and Echo Cuba, two nonprofit
groups that focus on humanitarian aid, said that both federal law and
Cuba's government place many limits on humanitarian aid to the island.

But he believes the federal government could take immediate steps in the
event of Castro's death to make it easier to ship humanitarian aid. He
said Cuba makes it difficult for the U.S. government to allow aid to
flow in because the Cuban government controls almost all distribution of
foreign aid.

''Because Florida is the largest Cuban-American diaspora community in
the United States, the outpouring of offers to assist may be
overwhelming,'' the report states.

The report notes it's important to coordinate the agencies in charge of
aid now because ``ad hoc citizen response to a crisis in Cuba has
historically proven itself to be a severe complication, as well as one
that potentially endangers lives.''

The report ends on a positive note.

''Cuban Americans may play a major role in Cuba's rebuilding efforts
because of their commitment to their native country,'' it states.
``Educating Cuban-American and Floridian volunteers to become an
essential component in this process will help foster unity.''

Read Oscar Corral's blog, Miami's Cuban Connection, in the blogs section
of MiamiHerald.com or at http://blogs.herald.comcuban_connection/.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/14720685.htm