Cubans Struggle as Power Not Fully Restored Days After Blackout as Hurricane Nears
HAVANA — Days after a massive power outage plunged Cuba into darkness, electricity was still unavailable in many parts of the island on Wednesday, exacerbating the suffering of a population already grappling with shortages of food, medicine and other essentials. The widespread outage, blamed on a fire at a power plant, has added another layer of hardship as residents braced for Hurricane Idalia, which is projected to bring heavy rain and winds to the island’s western provinces starting Thursday.
In the capital, Havana, and many other urban centers, electricity flickered on and off, providing residents with only intermittent relief. Long lines stretched outside bakeries, supermarkets and gasoline stations as residents scrambled for basic necessities. “It’s been an agonizing three days, trying to cope with the heat, the lack of refrigeration and the uncertainty of when things will get better,” said Luis, a resident of Havana who declined to provide his last name. “The hurricane on top of all this is just another worry.”
The government, struggling to restore power across the country, has faced growing criticism from a population already disillusioned by a long economic crisis and an increasingly authoritarian regime. The authorities have attributed the power outage to a fire at a major power plant in Mariel, but critics have alleged mismanagement and years of neglect in the country’s dilapidated electricity system.
“The blackout is just another example of the government’s incompetence,” said Antonio, a retired teacher in Havana. “We’ve been enduring these kinds of breakdowns for years, and it’s clear that they haven’t done anything to address the underlying problems.”
In some rural areas, residents have resorted to using candles, lanterns and generators, while others have sought refuge in cooler spots or borrowed electricity from neighbors with access to solar panels. The scarcity of fuel, exacerbated by the power outage, has made generators even more costly to operate.
“The lack of electricity is making it impossible to keep our food from spoiling,” said Maria, a farmer in Pinar del Río province. “With the hurricane approaching, we don’t know what to do.”
As Hurricane Idalia barrels toward Cuba, authorities have stepped up efforts to prepare for the storm, urging residents to stock up on supplies and stay informed about its trajectory. Meteorologists are forecasting that the hurricane will make landfall on Thursday in Cuba’s western provinces, before moving north toward the Florida Keys and the southeastern United States.
The combined threats of a power outage and a hurricane have brought new uncertainties to an already precarious situation for many Cubans. “The whole situation feels hopeless,” said Carmen, a resident of Santiago de Cuba. “We just don’t know what’s coming next.”
On Wednesday, the government issued an update claiming that power had been restored to parts of the island, although the situation remains precarious and many regions remain without electricity. The country’s leadership has maintained a cautious tone about the duration of the blackout, admitting that full power restoration is likely to take time.
As the storm approaches, Cuba’s embattled government finds itself navigating a multifaceted crisis, struggling to provide basic services to a population facing severe economic challenges and growing dissatisfaction. The looming hurricane, further compounding the hardships, highlights the fragility of life for many on the island and fuels an underlying sense of insecurity and vulnerability.
