HAVANA , Cuba ( CNN ) -- New Orleans , Louisiana , Mayor Ray Nagin arrived in Cuba late Friday on a mission to learn about how to deal with storms , a spokeswoman said . Mayor Ray Nagin watches President Obama speak in New Orleans , Louisiana , on Thursday . `` We understand we may have a lot to learn from the Cubans in terms of disaster preparedness and how they have dealt with hurricanes , '' spokeswoman Ceeon Quiett said . Cuba is internationally applauded for exceptional disaster management , according to a news release from Nagin 's office . In the Cuban capital , Havana , Nagin plans to meet with several officials , including some from the Latin American Medical Centers for Disaster . He will also learn about preparations the Cuba Defense Committee makes in advance of disasters . Nagin 's trip comes a day after President Obama held a town hall meeting in New Orleans , still reeling from the aftermath of deadly Hurricane Katrina in 2005 . `` It has now been just over four years since that terrible storm struck your shores , '' the president said . `` And [ in ] the days after it did , this nation and all the world bore witness to the fact that the damage from Katrina was not caused just by a disaster of nature but also by a breakdown of government , that government was n't adequately prepared , and we did n't appropriately respond . '' Since Katrina , New Orleans has adjusted its disaster response with new evacuation plans . As Hurricane Gustav threatened the city last year , officials evacuated more than 18,000 residents , the release said . Three powerful hurricanes hit Cuba last year , damaging half a million homes and causing $ 10 billion in losses , according to the Cuban government . But only seven people died , thanks to a smooth evacuation plan . Some aspects of the communist nation 's response , including mandatory evacuations , may not be possible in a democracy . Still , some Americans believe that they can learn from their Caribbean neighbor . The mayor of Galveston , Texas , another city hit hard by Gulf of Mexico hurricanes , visited Cuba this year . Nagin is the first New Orleans mayor to make an official visit to Cuba in 50 years . The State Department sanctioned Nagin 's trip , Quiett said . He plans to return to New Orleans on Thursday . CNN 's David Ariosto contributed to this report .
Ray Nagin to meet with Cuban officials , learn about disaster plans . State Department sanctioned visit , mayor 's representative says . Comment: Three hurricanes hit Cuba last year , but only seven people died .