Cuba: at least six dead after the passage of Hurricane Oscar, electricity is gradually being restored

At least six people died during Hurricane Oscar in Cuba, where more than a third of residents now have power four days after a general blackout of the electricity system.

“Unfortunately, according to preliminary information, six human lives were lost in the municipality of San Antonio del Sur”, in the province of Guantanamo (east), confirmed Monday evening, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in a speech broadcast by state television.

“The Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior are taking the lead in rescue operations in these Guantanamo communities, where areas are still inaccessible,” the head of state also specified on the social network X.

Hurricane Oscar, which made landfall on Sunday evening with winds approaching 130 km/h, before being downgraded to a tropical storm, finally moved away from Cuban territory on Monday evening. “The center of tropical storm Oscar leaves Cuban territory and is located in the seas north of the province of Holguin” (east), said the Cuban Meteorological Institute (Insmet) in its latest bulletin overnight (at 1 hour GMT).

By Sunday evening, waves had reached up to four meters in height in Guantanamo province. Roofs and walls of houses were damaged, electricity poles and trees fell, according to the official press.

A third of the electrical system works

After the general blackout on the island, the Cuban president clarified that “more than 36% of the service has been restored and is currently operating stably” in the country. A resident of the eastern province of La Tunas said electricity returned Monday evening. In the capital, almost all of the two million residents regained power at the end of the day, according to the authorities. Traffic and many activities have been able to resume.

However, faced with the persistence of the energy crisis, the Cuban president warned on Sunday that his government would not tolerate disturbances to public order, while residents took to the streets on Saturday and Sunday evening to demonstrate their exasperation. “All perpetrators of unrest will be prosecuted with the severity that revolutionary laws provide,” insisted the head of state. In 2021, power outages on the island triggered numerous protests.

However, with the energy crisis and the weather situation, the authorities suspended classes and non-essential public services until Wednesday, with only hospitals and crucial services for the population remaining operational.

Cuba is facing its worst crisis in thirty years. The giant power outage, which follows chronic blackouts, adds to shortages of food, medicine and galloping inflation.

Thursday, on the eve of the general blackout, the Cuban president announced that the island was in a situation of “energy emergency” faced with difficulties in purchasing the fuel necessary to power its power stations, due to the strengthening of the embargo imposed by Washington since 1962.

In Cuba, electricity is produced by eight dilapidated thermoelectric power plants, sometimes broken down or under maintenance, as well as several floating power plants leased to Turkish companies, and generators.

In September 2022, the island had already experienced a widespread blackout after the passage of Hurricane Ian which hit the west of the island. Full restoration of electricity took several days in Havana and several weeks in areas affected by the hurricane.