A Cuban identified as Lina Hernandez posted on Facebook a 25-second video about the daily crisis on the island that went viral for humorously depicting the dual deprivation experienced by millions of Cubans, lacking both water and electricity at the same time.
"It's been quite a few days since we've had any water, and I need to wash my clothes; I have a huge pile of laundry, and the kitchen is full of flies. The full package never comes, neither water nor electricity," says the woman in front of the camera, turning a situation of extreme hardship into a moment of everyday comedy.
The video accumulated over 86,500 views, 2,033 likes, and 116 comments, with reactions that blend outrage, solidarity, and admiration.
The comments reflect the mood of an exhausted population.
A person wrote: "Cuba, the first country in the world free of water and electricity."
Another was more direct: "They have us on the brink of madness."
There were also those who celebrated Lina's attitude: "As always, put on a brave face in bad times" and "Blessings to that woman who, despite her daily struggles, makes Cubans and everyone else laugh."
The scene described by Lina is not exceptional; it is the norm for millions of Cubans in 2026.
According to data from the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources, the water supply system operates with only 37% of the fuel needed for hydraulic pumping.
Around 2.7 million Cubans experienced daily water shortages in May, and nearly 10 million had intermittent supply.
The water crisis is directly linked to the energy crisis, as when the power goes out, the pumping stations stop and water supply is cut off.
In terms of electricity, the National Electroenergetic System has collapsed at least seven times in 18 months.
This Saturday, the Electric Union projected a maximum outage of 1,990 MW during the peak night hours, with only 1,090 MW available against a demand of 3,050 MW.
Humor has solidified as a cultural tool of resistance against this reality.
Last Friday, the comedian Ulises Toirac posted a reel sarcastically asking "Can you imagine this in a normal country?" in reference to a sunny Saturday, directly addressing the Cuban crisis.
This phenomenon has clear precedents. When Spain experienced its major blackout in April 2025, Cubans responded with a wave of memes ironically comparing the European event to their daily electrical crisis, and by May 2024, videos about the stages of the blackout in Cuba were already circulating.
Lina's phrase, "the full combo never comes," brutally captures the simultaneous shortages that define daily life on the island, where the scarcity of water and the lack of electricity are not separate crises but a single reality that feeds into itself with no solution in sight.
Filed under: