Rocked by string of blackouts, Cubans’ ability to endure reaches a limit
Third Blackout in July Tests Cuban Resilience as Nation Faces Deepening Crisis
Rocked by string of blackouts Cubans – Between two major island-wide power failures that struck Cuba during July, I found myself standing in a queue behind two medical professionals clad in white coats. They were engaged in an animated conversation about their patients. One turned to the other and remarked, “I don’t worry about the people who say they are stressed out. It’s the people who say they are fine. There is something really the matter with them.” This exchange occurred while waiting to purchase food supplies that arrive weekly from rural areas via truck.
Cuba’s electrical infrastructure collapsed once more on Tuesday, marking the third occurrence within a single month. The failure left approximately 10 million citizens navigating through darkness and mounting uncertainty. Concern about what lies ahead has reached unprecedented levels across the communist-run island. As the economy continues to deteriorate and the Trump administration intensifies its sanctions campaign, the Cuban revolution appears to be approaching its conclusion.
A Life of Endurance Under Pressure
Having resided in Havana for nearly fifteen years, I have witnessed firsthand both the remarkable capacity of Cubans to persevere and the government’s skill at preserving order. Daily existence has always been challenging, but it has now become extraordinarily difficult. Access to electricity, water, and fuel has transformed into a rare privilege. Securing any one of these essentials is fortunate; expecting all three simultaneously borders on greed.
Following the second island-wide blackout on Friday, my Havana neighborhood experienced thirty-six consecutive hours without electricity. At four o’clock in the morning on Sunday, I was roused by illumination emanating from the adjacent house. The lights burned brightly, reminiscent of Christmas Eve. Through the windows, I observed neighbors hurrying about in the middle of the night, utilizing the precious few hours available to wash clothes, prepare meals, and charge devices.
“We had four hours of uninterrupted power,” Jorge told me the following morning. “When was the last time that happened?”
The next day, during yet another power failure, I spoke with Jorge, who is assisting me and several other residents in converting the small grassy areas in front of our homes into vegetable gardens. This effort fulfills a somewhat idealistic government directive requiring citizens to cultivate their own food. He expressed genuine delight at our brief return to twentieth-century conditions.
The Psychological Toll of Uncertainty
The unpredictability is affecting everyone’s mental state. Nobody can predict when the electricity will fail or for what duration. Occasionally, power returns after an entire day’s outage, only to disappear again within mere minutes, prompting the neighborhood to emit a collective groan. Exhaustion seems universal among those I encounter.
The government operates a WhatsApp channel where residents receive precise information about how long they have been without electricity. Blackouts lasting beyond thirty hours are no longer unusual. When power returns even briefly, the timer resets to zero. Recognizing they are being misled, Cubans respond to official messages with excrement emojis or images of the American flag. Some residents have begun banging pots and pans during nighttime hours, though organized demonstrations remain absent in a nation where the government views opposition as barely concealed treason.
Cubans are increasingly aware that they are experiencing a pivotal chapter in their island’s turbulent history, with additional disruptions likely ahead. Each morning, a state television presenter—clearly bearing one of the most difficult assignments on the island—forecasts the daily power shortage using the same format that other countries employ for weather or traffic reports.
Energy Solutions Must Come from Abroad
With summer’s hotter months now affecting Cuba and greater energy demands needed to combat rising temperatures, the deficit continues to worsen. Jorge Piñon, a senior energy researcher at the University of Texas in Austin, explained to CNN that domestic solutions are no longer sufficient. “The solutions for Cuba’s energy crisis now can longer come from within Cuba, they have to come from outside,” he stated.
Beyond the Trump administration’s blockade restricting oil shipments, Cuba’s energy sector suffers from decades of inadequate state investment in aging power plants, creating a problem without straightforward resolution. Piñon noted that “Cuba produces enough oil on its own. But at any moment, half of the thermoelectric plants are down for maintenance.”
Help does not appear imminent. The United States’ seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro deprived Cuba of a crucial ally possessing the world’s largest oil reserves. Meanwhile, Russia has become increasingly entangled in its conflict with Ukraine and cannot provide additional assistance to an island that already carries substantial debt to its former benefactor.
