September 3, 2008

Members of Congress request the U.S. Government to provide direct assistance to the victims of Hurricane Gustav in Cuba

U.S. law does not need to be changed in order to help the victims of the hurricane

Senators Mel Martinez (R-FL), Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Congressmen Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) today asked the U.S. Government to provide direct assistance to the victims of Hurricane Gustav in Cuba. The Members of Congress have requested that the U.S.:

• Make available a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to travel to Cuba to assess the damage and determine the appropriate aid.

• Make available U.S. assistance to provide on the ground aid to the victims of Gustav through the United States Interests Section in Havana (USINT).

• Encourage other countries with posts in Cuba to establish humanitarian assistance programs to directly aid the victims.

• Should the Cuban regime allow the International Red Cross to enter Cuba to carry out its mission, issue a license under OFAC to the International Red Cross in order for it to establish a humanitarian assistance fund to provide direct assistance to hurricane victims and establish a process by which individuals can make donations to provide direct aid to the victims.

• Encourage non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the U.S. to send assistance directly to the victims of Gustav in Cuba, and Cuban-Americans wishing to donate to hurricane victims on the island to do so through reputable, licensed NGOs with a history of direct assistance to the Cuban people.

The international community should join the U.S. in demanding that the Cuban regime immediately:

• Allow the International Red Cross to enter the island to conduct damage assessments and provide humanitarian assistance;

• Allow a US DART team to enter the island to conduct damage assessments and provide assistance directly to the Cuban people;

• Allow USINT officials to travel to Pinar del Rio and other affected areas outside of Havana with direct humanitarian aid from the U.S. to the Cuban people.

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