By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ and MILEXSY DURAN, Associated Press,
Updated 10:46 AM EDT, October 21, 2024


HAVANA (AP) — Cuba’s widespread blackouts stretched into their fourth day as Hurricane Oscar crossed the island’s eastern coast with winds and heavy rain.

In Santo Suárez, part of a populous neighborhood in southwestern Havana, people went into the streets banging pots and pans in protest Sunday night. The protesters, who say they have no water either, blocked the street with garbage.

Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said in a news conference he hopes the electricity grid will be restored on Monday or Tuesday morning.

But he recognized that Oscar, which hit Cuba’s eastern coast Sunday evening, will bring “an additional inconvenience” to Cuba’s recovery since it will touch a “region of strong (electricity) generation.” Key Cuban power plants, such as Felton in the city of Holguín, and Renté in Santiago de Cuba, are located in the area.

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Rain and thunderstorms were reported in Cuba’s eastern provinces and strong two-meter swells were hitting the seafront promenade in the city of Baracoa, near where Oscar made landfall. No deaths have been registered so far, but local media reported damage to roofs and walls.

Some neighborhoods had electricity restored in Cuba’s capital, where 2 million people live, but most of Havana remained dark. The impact of the blackout goes beyond lighting, as services like water supply also depend on electricity to run pumps.

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