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Cuba has rejected an offer by the United States to send a damage survey team — the same offer Havana rejected in the wake of Hurricane Gustav — to the island in the wake of Hurricane Ike, Europa Press reported Sept. 11. The report comes after Ike swept the island as a Category 1 hurricane from the eastern tip to the westernmost province, causing damage across the entire country and forcing one-fourth of the population to evacuate their homes. Damage estimates are unreliable at this point, but Cuban officials have estimated the total value of the destruction at between $3 billion and $4 billion, and that is probably just the beginning.

As the nearest major power to Cuba, the United States is the country best positioned to respond effectively to such a disaster. Havana no doubt would rather have an offer of a major emergency aid package, not just a damage-assessment team — but as a legacy of the Cold War, U.S. law prevents major offers of aid to Cuba. Although Washington has in this case authorized aid organizations to increase their spending in Cuba, and has lifted some quotas on agricultural sales to the island, it has not taken steps toward easing the long-standing economic embargo on the island.