Hurricane Oscar: more than 70% of Cuba’s population recovered power after four days of blackout

More than 70% of the Cuban population recovered electricity service after four days of total blackoutin a context of emergency aggravated by the passage of Hurricane Oscar that left six dead in the east of the islandauthorities reported on Tuesday.

“This morning 70.89% of customers in Cuba have electricity service,” said the Ministry of Energy and Mines in his X account, where he added that “the expansion of electrical coverage in the country” continues.

Cuba In recent days, it has experienced an exceptional situation with the collapse of the national electrical system after a breakdown on Friday in the most important thermoelectric plant in the country, and due to the arrival of Hurricane Oscaras category one, at the eastern end of the island.

Oscarwhich was downgraded a few hours later to a tropical storm, caused six deaths and left serious material damage in the province of Guantanamobefore leaving Cuba on Monday night.

The authorities made great efforts over the weekend to restore the national electrical system, which collapsed again on several occasions.

However, on Monday night the president Miguel Diaz-Canel reported that there was “36% of the service restored in the country, operating with stability at this time.”

Hurricane Oscar: more than 70% of the population recovered power in Cuba after four days of blackout

In Havana, Of two million inhabitants, a large part of the population had electricity, but in the rest of the island the majority remained without service.

The lives of Cubans became complicated because in many cases The water and gas service was also interrupted.while telephone communications and transportation on the weekend were almost non-existent.

People were relieved with the restoration of the service: “Of course I’m happy, I need power to be there, for everything to be restored, because I have a senile 85-year-old mother and an autistic child,” she told AFP. Olga Gomeza 59-year-old housewife who lives in the old part of the city.

The authorities promised on Sunday to bring electricity on Monday night to the vast majority of the island’s population and deliver it to the “last customer” this Tuesday.

In Cubaelectricity is generated through eight worn-out fuel-dependent thermoelectric plants, which in some cases have broken down or are undergoing maintenance.

Added to this are several floating plants – which the government rents to Turkish companies – and generating sets.

With shortages of food, medicine, skyrocketing inflation and chronic blackouts that limit the development of productive activities, Cuba faces its worst economic crisis in three decades.