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A severe local storm that struck Santa Clara this Saturday left more than 40% of the city and areas of Placetas and Camajuaní without electrical service, creating a critical situation that is still ongoing in numerous communities.
According to the Electric Company of Villa Clara, specialized teams continue to work intensively to restore the supply, focusing their efforts on primary circuit 153, in the Arcoíris area, and addressing around 160 pending complaints, of which 110 correspond to Santa Clara.
The fall of trees and the collapse of 110 and 34.5 kilovolt lines caused significant damage at the Santa Clara Industrial substation, a key infrastructure that supplies over 40% of the municipality. As a result, the neighborhoods of Maleza, Cebadero, Latius, and parts of the Sandino district have been without electricity for more than 24 hours.
The event also directly impacted at least seven residential transformers and damaged 14 additional units, the replacement of which is being coordinated with the Electric Union (UNE), as indicated by the state company of Villa Clara on Facebook.
During the early hours of Sunday, the glare of an electric arc caused by high voltage cables created panic among neighbors who mistook it for an explosion near the local generators.
Hospitals and healthcare centers reported service interruptions, putting patient care in critical areas at risk.
At the time of writing this note, the Electric Company of Villa Clara has not reported any new progress in the work, so it is estimated that more than 300,000 people continue to be without electricity following the incident that occurred early this morning.
This new widespread blackout once again highlights the fragility of the Cuban electrical system in the face of weather events, as well as the slow response capacity to address emergencies that directly impact thousands of citizens.
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