{"id":117365,"date":"2024-10-23T07:56:04","date_gmt":"2024-10-23T00:56:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=117365"},"modified":"2024-10-23T07:56:04","modified_gmt":"2024-10-23T00:56:04","slug":"what-to-know-about-cubas-nationwide-blackout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=117365","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0What to know about Cuba\u2019s nationwide blackout"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"zephr-anchor\">\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">Cuba is suffering a nationwide blackout after the collapse of its electrical grid. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/americas\/cuba-shuts-down-most-businesses-amid-deepening-power-crisis-2d60829c\">Power went out all over the island Friday<\/a>, just days before Tropical Storm Oscar hit the island as a category 1 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/nation-world\/world\/americas\/cuba\/article294358669.html\">hurricane on Sunday<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">Though power has been partially restored in some areas, including much of Havana, millions of people \u2014 particularly in rural areas and in the eastern provinces, which bore the brunt of hurricane damage \u2014 are still without power on Tuesday. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">The blackout is the culmination of decades of disinvestment, an economic crisis, and global factors affecting the country\u2019s oil supply, and there doesn\u2019t seem to be a long-term solution to the crisis. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">The Cuban government regularly imposes hours-long blackouts in different parts of the country to conserve the fuel necessary to run the electrical plants. But the current outage is different. It was sparked by a breakdown at one of the country\u2019s aging electrical stations and has affected every facet of life for ordinary people: They cannot cool or light their homes, food is spoiling in refrigerators, they cannot cook, and many can\u2019t access water to drink or wash.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">Though the situation has now reached a crisis point, it\u2019s a tragedy that has developed over time and emphasizes Cuba\u2019s fragile economy, development imperatives, and its tenuous place in world politics.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--block-placement _80slsf1 _80slsf0 duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p><h2 class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\"><strong>How did all of Cuba lose power?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">The crisis started in earnest midday Friday, when the Antonio Guiteras power plant, one of the country\u2019s largest, went offline. Seven of the country\u2019s eight thermoelectric plants, which generate power for the island, were not working or under maintenance prior to the Guiteras plant\u2019s failure. So when the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/americas\/how-cubas-electrical-grid-collapsed-what-comes-next-2024-10-18\/\">Guiteras plant shut down<\/a>, there were no more energy sources. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">Since Friday\u2019s failure, the grid has partly or totally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/americas\/cuba-restoring-power-again-after-multiple-grid-failures-2024-10-21\/\">collapsed three additional times<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">The government blamed the failure on a combination of high electrical demand, poorly maintained energy facilities, a lack of fuel to run them, and stringent US sanctions. Officials, including Cuba\u2019s President Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel, have promised that the government is working around the clock to restore power to the island.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">The government has restored full <a href=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/nation-world\/world\/americas\/cuba\/article294260464.html\">functionality to some hospitals<\/a>, but others run on generators, a luxury not accessible to most Cubans. This could become a problem the longer the blackout continues, as the fuel generators require to operate is in short supply.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">As of Monday, much of the capital Havana was back online, according to energy officials. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/americas\/cuba-restoring-power-again-after-multiple-grid-failures-2024-10-21\/\">Technicians also restored functionality to the Antonio Guiteras plant<\/a>, providing at least some power to other regions, although the eastern tip of the island remains offline as of this writing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--block-placement _80slsf1 _80slsf0 duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p><h2 class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\"><strong>Why is Cuba\u2019s energy problem so severe?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">Cuba\u2019s electrical grid is so fragile due to a combination of factors: a lack of investment in infrastructure (of all kinds, not just the power grid); a lack of access to fuel to run the power plants; and impeded access to the global market are chief among them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">The Cuban government\u2019s inability or unwillingness to maintain the country\u2019s electrical plants is the direct cause of the blackouts; with most thermoelectric plants offline for one reason or another, Cuba was dependent on one plant to supply power to the island \u2014 which created this week\u2019s crisis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">But a broader problem has to do with Cuba\u2019s economy and its ability to access the fuel it needs to run its power plants. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba essentially bartered its sugar for oil from the USSR. Following the USSR\u2019s collapse in 1991, Cuba suffered an oil shortage and an economic crisis until Hugo Chavez was elected president of Venezuela and began offering Cuba below-market-rate oil in exchange for Cuban medical services.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">\u201cNowadays, you\u2019re seeing a situation where all these countries have issues of their own to deal with. Russia is dealing with Ukraine. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/world-politics\/363558\/venezuela-maduro-elections-south-america-machado-gonzalez-chavez-oil\">Venezuela is dealing with its own internal turmoil<\/a>,\u201d Daniel Pedreira, a professor of politics and international studies at Florida International University, told Vox. Russia, Venezuela, and Mexico still provide Cuba with oil, but it\u2019s just not enough to meet the country\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">Without access to discounted fuel, the Cuban government has had to turn to the open market. But fuel is more expensive there, and the country is short on cash. Cuba has little access to foreign currency reserves because its exports are low. Furthermore, two major sources of foreign currency \u2014 remittances from abroad and tourism \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/world\/2017\/6\/16\/15820484\/trump-new-cuba-policy-speech-obama\">decreased under the Trump administration<\/a> and Covid-19 pandemic following new US restrictions on US-Cuba relations and travel restrictions to stop the spread of disease.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--block-placement _80slsf1 _80slsf0 duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p><h2 class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\"><strong>What effect will the blackout have on Cubans?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">The blackout itself is a crisis, but Sunday\u2019s hurricane compounds it. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/nation-world\/world\/americas\/cuba\/article294358669.html\">Oscar hit the eastern province of Guant\u00e1namo<\/a>, causing unprecedented levels of flooding given that area\u2019s extremely dry climate. The continued power outage has hindered efforts to evacuate the region and complicated search-and-rescue efforts. Six people have been reported dead in the area since Oscar hit, though the circumstances of their deaths aren\u2019t clear. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">In the rest of the country, some Cubans have been on the street protesting, despite the sharp warnings from D\u00edaz-Canel, who said in a public address that such actions would not be tolerated and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/video\/cuba-havana-protests-and-demonstrations-cuba-government-power-outages-cf90011c95d842c9a266b4e7b2802e1a\">will be prosecuted with the rigor that the revolutionary laws contemplate<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">At the moment, protests don\u2019t seem to have grown into a mass movement for political change. According to Pedreira, Cubans do not seem to hold D\u00edaz-Canel with the same regard as they did the Castro regime. But the regime does have significant power to enact violence against protesters, and crackdowns against dissidents have been on the rise in recent years. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">\u201cIf these blackouts really become even longer lasting, and really are the catalyst for political change or some sort of mass uprising, will the Cuban troops fire on Cuban civilians en masse?\u201d Pedreira said. \u201cWe would have to wait and see if it happens or not. But as far as capacity, as far as the ability to do it, [the government] certainly can.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">Even if there were a significant call for regime change, there\u2019s nothing to change to, according to William LeoGrande, a professor of government and specialist in Latin American affairs at American University.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">\u201cDiscontent has been growing and is pretty widespread right now, [but] there isn\u2019t any real organized opposition,\u201d LeoGrande said. \u201cThe government makes it a lot easier for you to leave the country than to stay there and be a dissident. And so, you know, that\u2019s what people do. And even ordinary people who are just discontent and fed up, their inclination is just to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">This crisis could fuel a further exodus; an estimated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/nation-world\/world\/americas\/cuba\/article290249799.html\">1 million Cubans have left the country in the past three years<\/a>, the largest such migration in the country\u2019s history. One Havana-based economist, Omar Everleny, told the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/10\/21\/world\/americas\/cuba-blackout-hurricane-oscar.html?smid=url-share\">New York Times<\/a> he\u2019s already starting to see a new wave of emigration: \u201cAnyone who was thinking of leaving is now accelerating those plans. Now you\u2019re hearing \u2018I am going to sell my house and go.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1agbrixh lg8ac51 lg8ac50 xkp0cg0\">As for the government and those who stay, LeoGrande suspects \u201cthey\u2019ll muddle through because they always seem to find a way to muddle through.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"_1tzd3in0 _1agbrixx\">\n<p class=\"_1tzd3in1\">You\u2019ve read <!-- -->1<!-- --> article<!-- --> in the last month<\/p>\n<div class=\"_1tzd3in2\">\n<div class=\"_1tzd3in3\">\n<p class=\"_1tzd3in4\">Here at Vox, we believe in helping everyone understand our complicated world, so that we can all help to shape it. Our mission is to create clear, accessible journalism to empower understanding and action.<\/p>\n<p class=\"_1tzd3in4\">If you share our vision, please consider supporting our work by becoming a <i>Vox Member<\/i>. Your support ensures Vox a stable, independent source of funding to underpin our journalism. If you are not ready to become a Member, even small contributions are meaningful in supporting a sustainable model for journalism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"_1tzd3in4\">Thank you for being part of our community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_1tzd3in5\"><img alt=\"Swati Sharma\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"59\" height=\"69\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"\/_next\/image?url=%2Fstatic-assets%2Fheadshots%2Fswati.png&amp;w=64&amp;q=75 1x, \/_next\/image?url=%2Fstatic-assets%2Fheadshots%2Fswati.png&amp;w=128&amp;q=75 2x\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/_next\/image?url=%2Fstatic-assets%2Fheadshots%2Fswati.png&amp;w=128&amp;q=75\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"_1tzd3in7\">\n<p class=\"_1tzd3in8\">Swati Sharma<\/p>\n<p class=\"_1tzd3in9\">Vox Editor-in-Chief<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/politics\/379206\/cuba-power-grid-collapse-castro-venezuela-oil-blackout-russia\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cuba is suffering a nationwide blackout after the collapse of its electrical grid. Power went out all over the island Friday, just days before Tropical Storm Oscar hit the island &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=117365\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=117365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117365\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=117365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=117365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=117365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}