Solidarity in Santiago de Cuba: “Anyone who needs to charge their phone or lamp, there’s a generator at my house.”

In the midst of the critical situation in Santiago de Cuba, which remains disconnected from the National Electric System (SEN), some people have chosen to share what little they have as an act of solidarity.

The Santiago native Daniel Nieto Vega offered his help to the community through a post in the Facebook group "Baireros por el Mundo," showing a gesture of solidarity amid the energy crisis: "My people, anyone who needs to charge a phone or a lamp, the generator is running in my house."

In addition, the young man, who apparently resides in Baire, a municipality in Contramaestre, detailed the hours during which people could come to his home to charge battery-operated devices: “From 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and in the afternoons from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.”

The critical situation in Santiago de Cuba, one of the provinces most affected after the collapse of the SEN, has forced thousands of people to seek any alternative to charge lamps and mobile devices, in an effort to alleviate the energy crisis that the regime has not been able to resolve since the disconnection of the thermoelectric plants last Friday.

Journalist Yosmany Mayeta reported on Facebook that many people have turned to state entities, such as the provincial broadcaster CMKC and hospitals, which have power generators or have restored service, to charge light bulbs, mobile phones, and fans amid the energy crisis.

"My sources have photographed the offices of ETECSA, the sidewalk of the local broadcaster CMKC, the entrance of the South Children's Hospital, and in different neighborhoods with the generators of generous neighbors," noted the communicator.

The images shared by the journalist evoke the scenes of devastation that hurricanes often leave in Cuba, where many people, with no other alternative, are forced to go to the few places with power generators or available service to charge their devices.

The last time the people of Santiago experienced a similar situation was in 2012, when Hurricane Sandy severely affected the province.

The government of Santiago de Cuba decided this Sunday to implement some measures, such as the sale of coal and affordable meals to support the population, to alleviate the energy crisis that its residents are experiencing, where some have gone 60 hours without electricity.

Yaneydis Hechavarría, President of the Municipal Assembly of People's Power in Santiago de Cuba, announced on Facebook a series of measures that, although necessary, reveal the precarious situation in which the province finds itself to confront the current crisis.