Cubans are currently facing a dire situation as widespread blackouts have stretched into their fourth day, leaving many without electricity and water. The situation has been further exacerbated by the arrival of Hurricane Oscar, which has brought heavy rain and strong winds to the island’s eastern coast. As a result, many Cubans have taken to the streets in protest, banging pots and pans to express their frustration and anger.

According to Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy, the electricity grid is expected to be restored by Monday or Tuesday morning. However, the impact of the blackout goes beyond lighting, as services like water supply also depend on electricity to run pumps. Many residents have resorted to cooking with improvised wood stoves on the streets before their food goes bad in refrigerators. The situation has left many feeling desperate and helpless.

The failure of the Antonio Guiteras plant on Friday, which caused the collapse of the island’s whole system, was just the latest in a series of problems with energy distribution in a country where electricity has been restricted and rotated to different regions at different times of the day. The status of Cuba’s other power plants remains unclear.

This is not the first time that Cuba has faced such a crisis. In 2022, Hurricane Ian hit the island as a Category 3 storm and damaged power installations, leaving many without electricity for days. This year, some homes have spent up to eight hours a day without electricity. Even in a country that is used to outages as part of a deepening economic crisis, Friday’s collapse was massive.

The situation in Cuba highlights the devastating effects of power outages and natural disasters on citizens. It is a reminder that we must take steps to prepare for such events and ensure that our infrastructure is resilient enough to withstand them. At Riskwolf, we offer parametric insurance that can help protect against the financial losses caused by such events. With unique real-time data and dynamic risk modelling, we enable insurers to build and operate parametric insurance at scale. Simple. Reliable. Fast.

To learn more about the situation in Cuba, please visit the original article by Associated Press at https://torontosun.com/news/world/cubans-struggle-with-extended-power-outage-and-new-tropical-storm. To learn more about how Riskwolf can help protect against the financial losses caused by power outages and natural disasters, please visit our website at [insert website link].