BY DRAEGER MARTINEZ

 Two Cuban-American exile groups announced a plan Saturday that they hope will achieve two goals: to help thousands of Cubans devastated by Hurricane Michelle and strengthen the island's growing dissident movement.

 ``We feel that because of Hurricane Michelle, the opposition can play a significant role in aiding the Cuban people,'' said Tomás Rodríguez, a spokesman for Agenda Cuba, one of the groups involved. The other group, Municipios de Cuba en el Exilio, hosted the groups' joint news conference at its office, 4610 NW Seventh St.

 Hurricane Michelle, a Category 4 storm with winds topping 134 mph, struck Cuba Nov. 4, killing five people and disrupting water, power and telephone service for hundreds of thousands of residents. Agenda Cuba leaders said the downed phone lines limited their ability to reach contacts on much of the island.

 ``Because of the urgent need, we urge exiles and the public to give to these charities and contacts,'' said Mickey Garrote, who heads the Agenda Cuba's branch that is active on the island. The groups released a list of 16 dissident group leaders, with their phone numbers and, in most cases, their addresses in Cuba. Agenda Cuba
 leaders asked that donors contact them at 305-262-2727, and they can either pass on the aid or provide the list of dissident leaders to donors.

 "We made a big effort to not divulge their locations. But the dissidents wanted to get their names out in public,'' Garrote said.

 Saturday's announcement followed the lead of the Cuban American National Foundation, or CANF, which on Thursday announced its own relief effort that will also use dissidents for distribution.

 ``The aid should be people to people and will be [funneled] through the cooperation of human rights activists, independent journalists and other contacts inside the island,'' said Jorge Mas Santos, CANF chairman.

 ``The Red Cross and other international organizations do not have the infrastructure inside Cuba to realize an autonomous distribution,'' Santos said. ``But [Cuban leader Fidel] Castro also will not let these organizations distribute the aid.''

 He said CANF received a donation of three tons of rice and three tons of beans that it is packaging to send to affected families on the island, and donations from board members and private contributors that will help create a special fund.

 On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department formally offered relief aid to Cuba to help hurricane victims. Two days later, Cuba declined the aid but called for the United States to loosen its 40-year embargo on Cuba.

 If the embargo was eased, Cuban officials said, food and medicine could flow more readily to the island. State Department officials said Friday that the United States would not honor that request.

 El Nuevo Herald staff writer Wilfredo Cancio Isla contributed to this report.

                                    © 2001 The Miami Herald