Millions in Cuba remain without power as Hurricane Oscar makes landfall

HAVANA — Millions remained without powerfulness successful Cuba for a 3rd consecutive time arsenic dilatory advancement is made successful restoring energy following multiple major grid failures.

Power is expected to beryllium restored to everyone connected the land by Tuesday, the curate of vigor and mines, Vicente de la O Levi, told reporters astatine a quality league Sunday. The announcement, however, came earlier the Energy and Mines Ministry reported a fourth grid failure.

Levi warned that adjacent with the powerfulness restored, "we volition proceed to person blackouts due to the fact that we proceed with the deficiency of fuel." He said the authorities is "in conversations" to get fuel.

Hurricane Oscar, a Category 1 storm, made landfall connected eastbound Cuba's bluish seashore Sunday evening with sustained winds of 80 mph. The tempest could enactment an extremity to the powerfulness betterment efforts if it affects the plants successful its path.

Levi blamed the U.S.' "brutal blockade" for the fiscal difficulties successful acquiring substance and spare parts for Cuba's powerfulness plants, arsenic good arsenic for the existent electrical powerfulness crisis. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and different apical leaders person besides blamed the U.S. embargo connected Cuba.

Cuba's electrical grid collapsed Friday morning, plunging the full colonisation of 10 cardinal into darkness. As technicians dilatory made advancement with repairs, a 2nd grid illness occurred aboriginal Saturday, followed by different 1 precocious Saturday, arsenic good arsenic the illness Sunday.

Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela and Russia person offered help, according to Levi, and Cuba remains successful connection with their governments.

"The Cuban authorities has not requested assistance astatine this time," a U.S. State Department spokesperson told NBC News successful an emailed statement.

"The Unites States evidently is not to blasted for today's blackout connected the island, oregon the wide vigor concern successful Cuba," the connection said.

In the statement, the spokesperson blamed Cuba's economical conditions connected "long-term mismanagement of its economical argumentation and resources," adding that they person "increased hardships" connected the Cuban population.

The spokesperson added that the U.S. "is intimately monitoring today's blackout connected the island, and we are acrophobic astir the imaginable humanitarian impacts connected the Cuban people."  

Some protests, oregon "cacerolazos," broke retired successful antithetic parts of the land Saturday night, with radical demonstrating by banging connected pots. Levi said the protests were "isolated incidences" and called them "incorrect" and "indecent." Protesting is uncommon and not usually tolerated successful Cuba.

"The radical and civilization of Cuba are not accustomed to that," helium said astir the protests.

In the capital, Havana, with a colonisation of 2 million, powerfulness had been restored to 260,000 homes astatine 3:30 p.m. section time, according to the state-run quality tract Cuba Debate. But immoderate residents whose powerfulness was connected said it was a abbreviated portion earlier they mislaid powerfulness again.

Blackouts person been chronic successful Cuba for years and person worsened successful caller months. The communist-run country's aging and crumbling infrastructure requires changeless maintenance.

In the past, Cuba's authorities has cited expanding vigor request and shortages of substance utilized to powerfulness its plants arsenic causes of changeless blackouts. In immoderate provinces extracurricular Havana, galore radical person grappled with powerfulness outages that past up to 20 hours a day. 

The proviso of lipid has been greatly constricted since Cuba's state and main lipid supplier, Venezuela, decreased the shipments it sends to the island. Other countries that person supplied lipid successful the past, similar Russia and Mexico, person besides diminished shipments.

Cuba has been successful an economical situation spurred by tightened U.S. sanctions during erstwhile President Donald Trump's medication and the devastating effects the pandemic had connected tourism connected the island, 1 of the astir lucrative sources of gross for the government.

The state-dominated system relies mostly connected imports, and with the deficiency of hard currency, Cubans person been dealing with shortages of food, medicine, h2o and fuel.

Cuba's economical situation has spurred monolithic migration. Over 1 cardinal people, oregon 10% of the population, fled the land from 2022 to 2023, according to the country's nationalist statistic office.

Orlando Matos reported from Havana and Carmen Sesin from Miami.