The center of Hurricane Oscar made landfall in Cuba, where many people have been without power for more than 50 hours. According to the US hurricane center NHC, the cyclone reached the Caribbean country in the early evening (local time) as a hurricane of the weakest category 1 of 5 on the eastern north coast.
There was initially no information about possible damage. The Bahamas will also experience strong winds and rain.
In Havana, power was only restored briefly
In Cuba, the aging and worn-out power grid collapsed Friday morning, leading to an island-wide blackout. Since then, large parts of the country, with around ten million inhabitants, have had to do without electricity. Power was restored in parts of the Cuban capital Havana, west of the north coast, on Saturday afternoon, but shut off again about six hours later.
The population is shrinking as a result of the economic crisis
The country, which is authoritarianly ruled by the Communist Party, has been experiencing one of the worst economic crises since the 1959 revolution for years. There are shortages of food, medicine and fuel, among other things. The state has no foreign currency to import. Many Cubans flee abroad; according to the government, the population will have shrunk by a total of almost ten percent in 2022 and 2023 alone.
Power is not expected again until Tuesday
Cuban Energy Minister Vicente de la O said power could be gradually restored to all connections on Tuesday. But the situation remains tense. He said the electricity grid had to be restarted several times due to problems in some power plants, including high winds.
De la O blamed the U.S. embargo, which has been in place for more than 60 years, for Cuba’s inability to buy enough fuel or spare parts for its power plants. Some countries – including Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Russia and Barbados – have offered their support, but so far no aid is on its way to Cuba. The government has temporarily suspended all non-essential administrative activities, partly due to the hurricane.
Source: Krone
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