Cuba is facing a severe power crisis, with widespread blackouts leaving millions in the dark. The situation has been worsened by a storm expected to hit near Guantanamo or Holguin.
For many Cubans, life has become increasingly challenging, with no air conditioning or fans to alleviate the heat.
Food is spoiling in fridges, and families are resorting to cooking with firewood. The water supply is also under threat, as electric pumps are unable to function.
Schools and businesses have shut down, and hospitals are struggling to maintain operations.
President Díaz-Canel has pledged to make power restoration his “absolute priority.” “There will be no rest until power is restored,” he wrote on X.
However, the communist president also pointed to the decades-long US embargo as a significant obstacle to resolving the crisis. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez echoed this sentiment, stating that the embargo’s damages equate to the annual cost of maintaining the national power grid.
“If the embargo is lifted, there will be no blackouts. This way the US government could support the Cuban people… if it wanted to,” Rodríguez wrote on X.
The situation is further complicated by a decline in fuel shipments from Venezuela. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero attributed the electricity failures to deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages, and rising demand.
“The fuel shortage is the biggest factor,” Marrero said.
For ordinary Cubans, the situation is dire. Eloy Fon, an 80-year-old pensioner, described the situation as “crazy.” “It shows the fragility of our electricity system… We have no reserves, there is nothing to sustain the country, we are living day to day.”
Bárbara López, a digital content creator, shared similar concerns. “It’s the worst I’ve seen in 47 years. They’ve really messed up now… We have no power or mobile data.”
BBC/NGG
