Cubans in Santa Cruz del Norte say power outages have become a daily reality, even as the town produces petroleum and is home to one of Cuba’s largest thermoelectric plants. In the area east of Havana, residents described surrounding darkness and new tradeoffs in how they cook, light homes and find basic supplies as electricity fails and shortages deepen.
People in the town said they are forced to rely on coal and firewood, while some households described losing access to household utilities that rely on rechargeables and stable electricity. The Associated Press reported that in recent days some residents have had to stretch dwindling coal supplies and shift to cooking methods that can run only as long as fuel can be found or afforded.
The outlet reported that one mother, Kenia Montoya, said she recently ripped the wooden door off her bathroom in a crumbling cinderblock home that she shares with her children because she needed firewood and “they needed to eat.” She told AP: “Things are getting worse for us now,” and added, “They don’t supply us with petroleum. They don’t supply us with food. Where does that leave us, then?” AP described a small remaining amount of coal near her home as her uncertainty grows about how she will cook once it runs out.
AP also described residents dealing with food and lighting constraints inside their homes. Gladys Delgado, 67, said she has been sewing rugs from clothing scraps to earn extra cash because her pension is only $6 a month, and the wire report said she is among those questioning what life will look like as U.S. pressure rises. Elsewhere, Minorkys Hoyos said she “live[s] with what you have,” cooking with cassava and water when other food is not available. Another resident, 53-year-old Mariela Viel, told AP she began bumping into things when it got dark after rechargeable lights broke down, saying the problem has been especially difficult for a person with diabetes.
Cuban officials have pointed to broad disruptions tied to U.S. actions in the region, the report said. On Thursday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel described the situation as “complex” as he called the U.S. stance “aggressive and criminal,” adding that it is affecting transportation, hospitals, schools, tourism and the production of food, according to AP. He said he would provide details within a week about how Cuba will respond to the crisis, the report said.
AP reported that the energy situation is playing out against wider diplomatic and economic pressures involving oil. The report said the U.S. has threatened to impose tariffs on countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, and it linked those threats to shortages residents associate with reduced access to petroleum. The wire report said Donald Trump commented that Cuba is “a failed nation now” and argued that it was not getting money from Venezuela or “anywhere,” while AP described U.S.-Cuba tensions deepening after the U.S. attacked Venezuela and disrupted oil shipments.
Cuba’s government, AP reported, has not publicly detailed its oil reserves in the wake of those disruptions. The wire said Cuban officials recently praised a phone call they had with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov but did not share details, while it also said Mexico has pledged humanitarian aid, including food, after Trump said he asked for Mexico to suspend oil shipments to the island.
In Santa Cruz del Norte, AP said residents described brief stretches when electricity returned, followed by fear that outages would return more broadly and for longer. The outlet reported that for three months the town had electricity while much of Cuba suffered constant outages from aging infrastructure and fuel shortages at power plants; residents said the outages hit again about a week ago. Iván Amores recalled the town when it had power, telling AP: “This used to be wonderful,” but adding, “Now, it’s truly torture.”
Even with the hardships, residents described small inventions and adaptations that do not fully solve the problem of access to energy. AP reported that Amores uses a small makeshift barbecue pit to cook and said he buys pricier coal at $3 a bag, which he said generates less smoke. The report also said he acquired a tube light built and sold by a man in another town, which can be charged and includes a USB port, though residents like Viel described being unable to afford additional household improvements as electricity stays unreliable.
The wire report portrayed everyday uncertainty alongside attempts to preserve moments of normalcy when there is light or heat. It described neighbors walking with buckets for showers during a cold snap that began in late January, as well as earlier celebrations for birthdays. One resident, Olga Lilia Laurenti, 61, told AP she said, “I’m telling you, whatever’s meant to be, let it be, because we can’t stop it,” and added, “You need laughter, you need joy,” as she spoke about coping with what residents said they cannot control.