The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to condemn the U.S. embargo on Cuba for the 33rd consecutive year, with just seven opposed, including the United States, Israel and Ukraine. The vote came as Cuba was battered by Hurricane Melissa, causing widespread damage.

We get an update from the eastern Cuban province of Santiago de Cuba with Liz Oliva Fernández, a reporter with Belly of the Beast, who says the U.S. embargo and other economic sanctions make it much harder for Cuba to respond to natural disasters. Nevertheless, it has a robust early warning system, detailed plans for evacuating the most vulnerable and an extensive network of government shelters.

Mikael Wolfe, a historian at Stanford University, notes this system is rooted in lessons from early in the Cuban Revolution when another devastating storm killed hundreds of people across the island. The U.S. could learn much from the Cuban government when it comes to dealing with hurricanes, says Wolfe.