Cuba’s Crisis: No Power, No Oil Under U.S. Pressure
▼ Summary
– Javier and his father Elías are enduring a severe power outage and water shortage in their Havana suburb, having gone over 16 hours without electricity.
– The lack of utilities has led to food spoilage, forcing them to cook on a makeshift charcoal stove due to an ongoing shortage of cooking gas.
– Extreme heat, overflowing trash, and the resulting stench have made sleeping difficult and living conditions unbearable.
– They woke early to attend mandatory military reserve exercises but were left waiting as their scheduled bus never arrived.
– Their failed journey to the exercises reveals the compounding failures of public services and infrastructure in their daily lives.
The daily reality for many Cubans is defined by a profound struggle with widespread power outages and severe fuel shortages, creating a cascading humanitarian crisis that touches every aspect of life. This systemic collapse is deeply intertwined with decades of U.S. economic sanctions, which have crippled the island’s ability to import essential goods and maintain its aging infrastructure. The compounding pressures have pushed basic services to the brink, leaving families to navigate a constant state of uncertainty and deprivation.
In the pre-dawn darkness of Arroyo Naranjo, a suburb south of Havana, Javier and his father Elías walk carefully side by side. The familiar streets are invisible, guided only by the muffled conversations drifting from nearby homes. For over sixteen hours, their house has been without electricity, a blackout that also halted the neighborhood’s water pumps. With empty tanks, they haven’t showered in days. The little food remaining, some chicken and the last sausages from a pack, was hastily cooked on a makeshift charcoal stove assembled on the roof; their gas tank has been empty for a month. The oppressive heat and the foul odor from overflowing, uncollected trash made sleep nearly impossible, forcing them to remain in a semi-wakeful state to serve as their own alarm clocks.
Hungry, thirsty, and exhausted, they were among the first to arrive at their local bus stop that morning. They were joined by five others, all waiting for transport to mandatory weekend reserve exercises for the Revolutionary Armed Forces. Javier balances this duty with his job in tourism, while Elías, retired, is also obligated to attend. After a thirty-minute wait past the scheduled arrival time, it became clear the bus would not come. With no alternative, the group dispersed and returned home, another planned activity derailed by the island’s paralyzed transportation network. Their story is not an isolated incident but a common thread in the fabric of a society where the lack of power and oil doesn’t just inconvenience, it dismantles routines, compromises health, and erodes any semblance of normalcy.
(Source: Wired)
