In the past three weeks, Cuba has been hit with multiple natural disasters and an energy crisis. On October 20th, Hurricane Oscar killed seven people, and an unrelated power outage quickly followed. On November 6th, Hurricane Rafael hit Cuba and caused 283,000 people to evacuate their homes while knocking down transmission lines and poles. As a result, a power outage affected the whole country. On November 10th, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit eastern Cuba, adding to the already harsh conditions. Amidst their current economic crisis, Cubans are frustrated with the outages and have begun to organize small protests. These disasters add fuel to the fire regarding disappointment in the current government and a call for necessary reform. 

Although prolonging the recovery, the hurricanes are not the reason for the power outages. The power outage originated from a main power station shutting down, and crashing the other stations. In an interview with The Guardian, a retired Cuban engineer indicated that the power station “was built rotten” and “long pushed to its limit”.

According to official data, 600,000 people lack regular running water, and the blackouts have only increased this number by damaging hardware. These power outages are not new. In July 2021, countrywide energy problems led to the largest anti-government protests in almost 30 years. Since then, local protests have continued. Cubans, with little energy to protest after enduring this situation for years,  have been clashing pots and pans together, with government officials emphasizing that they will crack down on any “public disorder”.

Without electricity, the people have nothing. A lack of power has terrible consequences: food waste, the inability to carry out daily activities, a broken water supply, and school shutdowns. The government blames the power outages on declining infrastructure, increase in energy demand from small and midsize businesses, and a lack of fuel. The government primarily targets the blame towards the United States, due to its 62-year-old trade embargo, which President Diaz-Canel of Cuba states is “financial and energy persecution,” and impacting Cuba’s ability to “import fuel and other resources necessary.” In a 2020 report to the U.N., Cuba declared that the total cost to Cuba from the United States embargo is $144 billion since its inception. The embargo is strongly condemned by the U.N., but the United States has not budged in removing the sanctions. 

In addition to these natural disasters and power outages, Cuba’s economy is in a suffering state. Due to high inflation, unaffordable prices, and shortages of fuel, food, and medicine, Cuba is experiencing an extreme migration crisis. According to the country’s national statistics office, more than a million people, or 10% of the population, have left Cuba between 2022 and 2023.

Cuba’s government must be quick to reconstruct the damage that has occurred due to the natural disasters. However, after this immediate reconstruction, change needs to occur. Cuba’s massive exodus will only grow, and deteriorate the country even further if continued. Cuba needs investment and capital for any future hope in meaningful change. The U.S. plays a pivotal role in Cuba’s detriment by keeping its embargo , and not heeding international advice. Cuba has cracked down on unrest, but its population must be resilient to this way of life, and peacefully demand change and more from their government. They must hold the government accountable to not skip any corners, and develop a responsible way. By doing so, this will result in advanced infrastructure, a healthy environment, and an end to the living crisis in Cuba.