In Cuba, the return of electricity after a blackout is no cause for celebration—it’s a race against time. This reality is hilariously yet starkly captured by TikTok user @rossy_guajira_natural, who shares a video depicting the frenzy that grips millions of Cubans when the power returns. "Here I am early, unkempt, still in my pajamas, teeth unbrushed, because if the power goes out again, it’ll be worse. Every second counts," she admits with nervous laughter, all while juggling tasks like starting the washing machine, cooking rice, seasoning beans for her daughter, and using a sliver of soap as a stand-in for the missing detergent in her town.
The scene, characterized by urgency and improvisation, underscores the challenges of living in a country where even the simplest tasks hinge on fleeting moments of electricity. "Normally, I need to be like an octopus, but now more than ever because we've been without power for 48 hours," the woman notes, pausing in her whirlwind of activity only to sip coffee and help a friend with a facial cleanse.
A Daily Struggle in a Darkened Nation
Rossy’s account emerges during one of the most severe energy crises Cuba has seen in recent years, with the island suffering its fifth nationwide blackout in under a year and enduring increasingly lengthy and unpredictable power outages. The latest breakdown occurred on September 10, when the unexpected shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant in Matanzas plunged the entire island into darkness. Just days earlier, another failure had severed the electrical grid from Las Tunas to Guantánamo, affecting millions.
Statistics reveal the scale of the calamity: deficits exceeding 1,800 MW in September, power plants over 40 years old lacking essential maintenance, and a demand that vastly outstrips generation capacity. Even the leadership of the Unión Eléctrica has admitted that the system is operating under "critically unstable" conditions.
Living with Constant Uncertainty
What Rossy experiences as a domestic scramble is, for millions of Cubans, a routine of survival: cooking in the early hours, washing dishes in darkness, laundering clothes with makeshift soaps, sleeping without fans, and losing food due to lack of refrigeration. Engineer and entrepreneur Yulieta Hernández recently described it as the "normalization of abnormality," in a country where blackouts are not merely power cuts but disruptions of life itself.
In this version of Cuba, each return of power triggers a frantic race to wash, cook, clean, cool, and perhaps snatch a fleeting moment of normalcy. A race that never truly ends, as everyone knows the electricity could vanish at any moment.
Understanding Cuba's Power Crisis
Why are power outages so frequent in Cuba?
Cuba experiences frequent power outages due to outdated power plants lacking maintenance, a high demand that exceeds generation capacity, and the critical instability of its electrical system.
How do Cubans cope with power outages?
Cubans adapt by performing tasks such as cooking and cleaning during odd hours, using makeshift solutions for everyday needs, and preparing for the power to go out at any moment.