Millions of Cubans remained without power for a third day in a row Sunday after fresh attempts to restore electricity failed overnight.
The Cuban Electrical Union reported that about 16% of the country had its power restored when the aging energy grid again overloaded late Saturday. Officials have not provided an update on when service will be reestablished.
This marks the third full collapse of Cuba’s energy grid since Friday, impacting access to power for most of the country’s 10 million inhabitants.
Recovery efforts are further complicated by the arrival of Hurricane Oscar in eastern Cuba, which is expected to bring heavy winds and surf.
Hurricane Oscar made its first landfall on Inagua Island in The Bahamas, with maximum estimated sustained winds of 80 mph, according to the 5 a.m. EDT update from the National Hurricane Center on Sunday.
It is forecast to reach the northeastern coast of Cuba as a hurricane later this afternoon. While some weakening is expected after landfall, Oscar could still be a tropical storm when it moves north of Cuba late Monday and across the central Bahamas on Tuesday, according to the NHC.
Cuba’s first island-wide blackout occurred on Friday, when one of the country’s major power plants failed, as reported by the energy ministry.
Hours after officials announced that power was being slowly restored, the country faced a second nationwide blackout on Saturday morning.
The blackouts threaten to plunge the communist-run nation into a deeper crisis, as water supply and food preservation are heavily reliant on consistent power.
Some residents began flooding WhatsApp chats with updates on power availability, while others coordinated to store medications in the fridges of those with temporary electricity—those lucky enough to have a generator.
In Havana, residents queued for hours to buy a few loaves from the few locations selling bread in the capital. When the bread ran out, several individuals argued that they were skipped in line.
Many openly wondered where Cuba’s traditional allies, such as Venezuela, Russia, and Mexico, have been, as these nations had previously supplied the island with much-needed barrels of oil to maintain electricity.
Although tourists were spotted cruising Havana’s main avenues in classic 1950s cars, many hotel generators had run out of fuel.
Reports from Reuters indicated small protests overnight into Sunday, with videos of demonstrations surfacing from other areas in the capital as well.
Cuban officials have attributed the energy crisis to a combination of factors, including increased US economic sanctions, disruptions caused by recent hurricanes, and the impoverished state of the island’s infrastructure.
In a televised address that was delayed due to technical difficulties, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz mentioned that much of the country’s limited production had been halted to avoid leaving people completely without power.
“We have been paralyzing economic activity to generate electricity for the population,” he stated.
The country’s health minister, José Angel Portal Miranda, stated that health facilities were operating on generators and that health workers were continuing to provide vital services during this crisis.