Press Releases

09/26/2008

Ask AP: Hurricane reporters, property in Cuba

By The Associated Press

Whenever a big hurricane hits, members of the news media -- from the windblown reporter you see on TV to the journalists who write stories, take photos and shoot video -- need to station themselves near the eye of the storm to do their jobs.

But where do they hunker down when it's no longer safe to be out in the elements?

A reader's curiosity about where journalists ride out the storm inspired one of three questions in this edition of "Ask AP," a weekly Q&A column where AP journalists respond to readers' questions about the news.

If you have your own news-related question that you'd like to see answered by an AP reporter or editor, send it to newsquestions(at)ap.org, with "Ask AP" in the subject line. And please include your full name and hometown so they can be published with your question.
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Under a federal law enacted a few years ago, foreign companies could be sued in U.S. courts if they purchased property in Cuba that the Cuban government had previously confiscated from American companies. Is this law still in effect? Were any foreign companies ever sued?
Paul A. Trayle
Fairview, Ore.
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Title III of the 1996 Helms-Burton law, sponsored by the late U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms and Rep. Dan Burton, allowed Americans to sue people or companies who use Cuban property seized after Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution.

But no lawsuits have been filed because U.S. presidents -- first Clinton, then Bush -- have subsequently waived enforcement of Title III every six months.

Cuban-American groups oppose the waiver, but the European Union supports it, calling the law a U.S. attempt to impose its anti-Cuba policy on other nations.
Anita Snow
AP Chief of Bureau
Havana
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I read with interest your answer to where the officials go to ride out a storm/hurricane, but I'd like to ask: Where the news people go?
Claudette Noel
Cadiz, Ky.
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I've been covering hurricanes for AP since 1998. Basically, I try to go where the eye is making landfall -- but I try not to be stupid about it.

If possible, I get a hotel room at least one story up, and facing AWAY from the first winds (though they catch you on the back end). Occasionally, I'll ride out the storm at the emergency operations center or a shelter, since they're a) safe and b) where the people are.

The trickiest part is avoiding getting stuck someplace where you're useless once the storm passes -- and making sure your rental car survives to carry you through the next few days.
Allen G. Breed
AP National Writer
Raleigh, N.C.
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Every day I read the names and home states of those that have died in the Iraq war. Please tell me what "non-combat-related" deaths mean and what percentage they are of total deaths.
Diane Martin
Clackamas, Ore.
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The U.S. Department of Defense categorizes each war casualty as either hostile or non-hostile -- also known as non-combat -- based on the type of incident that led to the death. Non-hostile deaths result from such causes as accidents, illnesses and self-inflicted wounds, while hostile deaths are more directly related to combat, with such causes as enemy fire, suicide bombings and improvised explosive devices.

As of Thursday, about 19 percent of U.S. military deaths in the Iraq war have been non-combat deaths.
Monika Mathur
AP News Research Center
New York
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Have questions of your own? Send them to newsquestions(at)ap.org.