Unión Eléctrica boasts "immediate response" before Rafael leaves the west in the dark

Cuba's Electric Union (UNE) boasted on Tuesday about its preparedness for the imminent impact of tropical storm Rafael, which is expected to intensify before reaching national territory and hitting the western region of the country.

The UNE boasted on Facebook that it is prepared to face Rafael, stating that a "contingent of workers from the Ciego de Ávila Electric Company is already on its way to the western provinces to await, in that region, the passage of Hurricane Rafael."

Although the announcement was presented as an achievement, just a few days ago the Cuban regime demonstrated a lack of preparedness when Hurricane Oscar struck several municipalities in Guantánamo, leaving the population without adequate protection.

In its statement, the UNE indicated that the contingent, “once the storm has passed, will join in the recovery of any damaged electrical infrastructure.”

Additionally, he stated that it is traditional for workers in the electricity sector to march to the provinces affected by hurricanes with the aim of restoring electric service as quickly as possible.

However, this practice, while necessary, reflects the chronic lack of foresight in the country's energy infrastructure.

Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel is aware that he cannot allow the impact of Hurricane Rafael in the west to trigger a similar crisis, less than a month after Hurricane Oscar passed through eastern Cuba.

With the memory still fresh of the damage and deaths caused by Hurricane Oscar in Guantánamo, and in light of the imminent arrival of Tropical Storm Rafael, which is expected to make landfall in Cuba as a cyclone, the leader assured on Tuesday that the country is "prepared and organized" to face this new threat.

As a result, starting at 5:00 p.m. this Tuesday, the State Council of Civil Defense of Cuba decided to establish the alert phase for the provinces of Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, and Sancti Spíritus due to the possibility of being directly impacted by Rafael.

For its part, the provinces of Matanzas, Mayabeque, La Habana, Artemisa, Pinar del Río, and the special municipality Isla de la Juventud have been on alert since Monday due to the dangers posed by the hydrometeorological phenomenon.