Blackout Chaos: Millions in Cuba Endure Two Days Without Power
Citizens of Cuba experiencing power outages
Take a gander at Cuba, where power outages have become a norm. Millions of residents are once again grappling with powerlessness, a situation that's lethal, especially for essential facilities like hospitals.
For two consecutive days, millions of Cubans have been without power. The slow recovery of the power grid, as per the state supplier UNE, shows meager improvements. Some 970 megawatts have been restored, less than a third of the peak demand, the electricity company reported. Havana's electrical connections stand at a measly 19%.
Snippets from the Streets Snapshots of a Nation: Cuban Life Through the Lens of Che Guevara's Photographer The power outage originated from a malfunction at a power station on Friday evening. This is the fourth nationwide blackout in the past five months on the island of approximately ten million inhabitants. Desperate citizens are found charging their phones on the street if they stumble upon an active socket, while searching for ice to prevent their food from spoiling. Blackouts plague the lives of Cubans on a daily basis. The government points the finger at the 60+ year-old U.S. trade embargo, which impedes international oil imports[1].
Island in Darkness
Following the outage on Saturday morning (local time), only a few vital facilities like hospitals and hotels with their own generators have power.
Street Scenes Cuba's Army Deployed: Blackout Triggers State of Emergency The situation calls for emergency response systems to be activated in several Caribbean island provinces according to President Miguel Díaz-Canel on the X platform. However, some ten million Cubans remain powerless. A mere 200 megawatts of power are being generated, paling in comparison to Cuba's minimum daily demand of at least 3000 megawatts.
Last year, the island endured three nationwide blackouts in less than two months. Clunky infrastructure across the socialist island is in poor shape, with power plants frequently dropping offline due to maintenance issues. The state supplier UNE generates only half of the required electricity for the country, leaving large swathes of the population powerless for extended periods in normal times.
Source: ntv.de, raf/dpa
- Cuban Misery
- Blackouts Agony
- Cuban citizens are facing extreme hardship due to the prolonged community aid needed to stabilize the power grid after a series of blackouts, including the recent two-day outage.
- Aid for the construction of new buildings might be necessary to address Cuba's aging power infrastructure that has been causing repeated outages, such as the one that plunged millions into darkness.
- The construction of new buildings for vital facilities, like hospitals, could potentially mitigate the impact of future power outages in Cuba, ensuring a more stable electricity supply and improving residents' quality of life.
