Cuba faces tropical storm as well as ‘energy crisis’

Last night Tropical Storm Oscar hit eastern Cuba. There is still no information about possible victims and the extent of the damage is still unclear. The natural disaster comes on top of growing dissatisfaction with the country’s recent massive power outages.

Oscar made landfall as a lower category hurricane, with wind speeds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour. The hurricane later weakened to a tropical storm. According to local media, houses were damaged in the east, and electricity poles and trees were downed.

As the storm crossed the eastern side of the island, almost all 10 million Cubans were in the dark for a third day. This is because of nationality power outage which started on Friday.

The storm is complicating efforts to repair the power grid, said Cuba’s Minister of Energy and Minerals, Vicente de la O Levy. The country’s largest power station is located in the affected area. The failure of that power plant was the reason of the national power breakdown.

Minister De la O Levy said this weekend that the electricity should be back for most Cubans by Monday night. It is not yet known how much the storm has changed this. On Saturday and Sunday, electricity appeared to be briefly restored in some areas, but then quickly went out again.

The drinking water supply in Cuba has been under pressure for some time because it relies on electric pumps. With the current power outages, water shortages are increasing. Food is also spoiled because refrigerators have broken down.

The situation led to protests in the capital Havana, among others. Residents expressed their displeasure on Sunday night by taking to the streets and making a lot of noise with pots and beans.

Such complaints are known in Latin America as cacerolazos:

The demonstrators also blocked the roads with garbage bags and shouted slogans like “We want to be free”. President Díaz-Canel says he will not accept the protests. “We will not accept provocative people, let alone disturbing the peace of our people,” he said.

The massive power outage was not a complete surprise. Shortly before that, the government declared an “energy crisis”. Cuba has struggled with outages for months due to an outdated and poorly maintained electricity grid. This is the first time that such a disturbance has affected the whole island.

Power stations are not working properly due to lack of fuel and technical parts. This is partly due to economic sanctions from the United States, says the Cuban government.

An American trade embargo has been in place since the Cold War, making it difficult to import parts for the power stations. The United States denies any responsibility for the situation in Cuba.

In recent years, Cuba has received less and less fuel from the friendly countries of Venezuela, Mexico and Russia. As a result, Cuba has to buy them at a much higher price on the short-term market.