In brief
As Hurricane Oscar approaches Cuba, a massive blackout has left millions without power, prompting small protests and government assurances that electricity will be restored by Monday. The country faces a critical situation with the threat of further damage from the storm.
As Hurricane Oscar threatens to make landfall, Cuba is grappling with a severe outage affecting around 10 million citizens following a catastrophic failure of its main power plant on Friday. The government has announced plans to restore power to affected regions by Monday evening; however, this timeline has been met with skepticism amid rising public frustration.Category 1 Hurricane Oscar, boasting winds of up to 85mph (140km/h), is projected to strike eastern regions of Cuba later today, exacerbating an already critical situation. Flash floods and mudslides are anticipated, particularly near Guantanamo and Holguin. Electricity supply suffered a brief revival on Saturday before failing again, prompting concerns over food spoiling in fridges and the loss of water due to electric pump outages.Frustration is boiling over, especially as local residents take to social media to express their anxiety over the ongoing lack of amenities, including air conditioning. Schools and several businesses have been shuttered, and operations at hospitals are under scrutiny. President Miguel Diaz-Canel assured citizens that efforts are underway to protect lives and economic interests from the impending storm.The power crisis, which is believed to have started when the Antonio Guiteras facility in Matanzas went offline on Friday morning, has been linked to aging infrastructure and a scarcity of essential fuel supplies—factors exacerbated by the ongoing U.S. embargo. Cuban officials, including Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, have called upon the U.S. to lift the embargo, arguing that doing so could alleviate Cuba's pressing energy issues.As discontent mounts, Cuba's Prime Minister Manuel Marrero attributed the outages to deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages, and elevated energy demand. The grumbling populace remembers the 2021 protests over mass blackouts that swept through the country, indicating that dissatisfaction with the government could quickly escalate if conditions worsen. As the government braces for Oscar's arrival, Cubans remain on edge, hoping for a swift resolution to their energy crisis while grappling with the fears of impending natural disaster.
