A few hundred Cubans took to the streets Thursday night in Havana demanding the restoration of electricity, protesting more than two days after a blackout hit the entire island following the passage of Hurricane Ian.
An Associated Press journalist saw a total of about 400 people gathered in at least two spots in the Cerro neighbourhood shouting, “We want light, we want light,” and banging pots and pans.
“We believe the incident is likely to significantly impact the free flow of information amid protests,” he said. The two groups of protesters were still in the streets late into the night, but the gatherings remained peaceful. Earlier Thursday, Ivette Garrido shared how she hurried last week to get the 6 kilograms of subsidized chicken allotted to her family by Cuba's government and put it in the freezer, happy to have meat to get through Hurricane Ian.
Electricity returned in some parts of Cuba on Wednesday, while it came on then shut off again in other parts. Experts said the total blackout showed the vulnerability of Cuba's power grid and warned that it will require time and sources - things the country doesn't have - to fix the problem.“We have never been so long without electricity,” Garrido said. “They put it at 24 hours, at 36, but it's already been more than 48. It's criminal.
Authorities say the total blackout happened because of a failure in the connections between Cuba's three regions - west, center and east - caused by Ian's winds.